Accidental Marriage
by new21writer
Summary: After getting drunk one night, Dean finds himself married to a girl who is young and cursed. The curse doesn't allow Dean to leave her because if the husband of the cursed is separated from her for more than half an hour, she would die. And now Dean is stuck with a wife. Follows season 1.
1. How it all started

September 22, 2005

Light was streaming through the windows, waking the girl in the bed. She sat up holding her head, it was the worst headache ever. After all, she was hung up.

"Great! Just how much did I drink last night?" she asked herself.

She stretched her body, relieving the tense muscles; and looked around her bedroom. That was when she noticed the sleeping man beside her. She quickly jumped out of the bed and away from him, but regretted it, as it made her head throb painfully.

'There is no time for a stupid headache,' she thought. 'Focus on the stranger.'

She looked down at herself and noticed that she was still wearing her clothes from last night. Next, she looked over at the man to check if his clothes were on too or not.

She sighed in relief, 'at least we are not naked.'

She tried to remember the events of the previous night but couldn't get much success. She remembered going to the bar, meeting the man in her room, having a couple or more drinks with him and coming out really drunk but after that it was all a blur. She would eventually remember if she concentrated enough but the pounding in her head stopped her. She raked her brain for the man's name and came up with Dean.

'Now, it's time to wake him up and ask him who he is and what the hell is he doing in my bedroom?' she thought.

As she moved towards his side of the bed, something touched her feet. She picked up the piece of paper and read it. It was a certificate. A marriage certificate to be exact. She couldn't believe her eyes; it had her name on it: Lyra Rose Auden and it said she was now legally married to Dean Ross Winchester. She dropped the certificate in shock.

"This is impossible! I must be dreaming. This can't happen. No! How can this be?" she rambled loudly, staring off into space.

Her little rant had woken Dean and now he was sitting up on the bed, looking around confusedly. His eyes swept the whole room, analyzing and memorizing it. He finally focused on the girl standing in front of him at the foot of the bed. She was around 5'6" tall, dark brown hair with natural blond highlights reaching her mid back, lightly tanned skin and athletic build. Feeling his scrutiny, Lyra turned towards him, still trying to recover from the shock. And now Dean saw the color of her eyes, emerald green.

"Please tell me this is a dream," she pleaded him.

But Dean didn't know how to answer. He was the one now trying to remember the last night. Nothing had happened between them, he was sure of it. He remembered her name, the bar, some pretty strong drinks but that was all. This was unexpected of him as he was good at handling liquor and rarely was he that drunk to forget the night afterwards. He too had a massive headache and Dean knew that he got really drunk this time.

"I don't know," he replied.

"Oh God! I screwed up real big this time," she said. "Do you remember what happened last night after we left the bar?"

"No. Do you?" he asked in reply.

She didn't answer him, just picked up the certificate and handed it to him. His eyes grew large and his expression changed into one of horror.

He looked up at her, "you knew about this?"

"No, I just found out."

"Look, this is a mistake. I don't know what happened but this certainly wasn't meant to happen."

"I know."

"We should get an annulment. Fast."

"We can't."

"What? What do you mean we can't?"

"There is a problem. I'll explain everything but first let me fix my headache."

Dean nodded and she left to go to the bathroom. After a few minutes she came in the room holding a water bottle and some pain meds.

"Here, take these," she said handing the meds and water to him.

He took them with a Thanks. She grabbed a chair from nearby and sat on it facing Dean who was still on the bed.

"Explain." He said.

"Okay. This may sound crazy, insane, but hear me out completely first and then react. Alright?"

He merely nodded so she continued "my great great grandmother, Margaret, lived in a huge mansion with her husband, William. They of course had servants, and one of them was the Oliver couple: James and Julia Oliver. Margaret suspected that her husband was having an affair with Julia, and she would never allow that, no wife would. So, one day she took Julia with her to the small pond behind the mansion and seeking the right opportunity Margaret pushed her in the pond. Julia didn't know how to swim. Margaret left her there and went back to the mansion. She was halfway through when she saw James coming her way. He was searching for his wife and she guessed that much. She stopped him and ordered him to do some work far away from the pond. By the time he finished it and went back to the pond to find Julia, half an hour had passed. All he found was her dead body and he knew that Margaret had done this. He stormed back to her and William and cursed her right there. He was actually an old witch and was living there as a servant to be with Julia, his only love. They had recently married and he was planning on taking her away with him. He said to Margaret that she separated him from his wife which led to her death, and so in the same way, if Margaret got separated from her husband for more than half an hour, she would die too. And the curse would run in the family affecting the daughters. It would break only if the daughter has a son as her first born. So far the first born have always been a daughter. Once the daughter marries someone, she has to live with him 24X7 or else half an hour without him would lead to her death."

"And now I am your husband," Dean said more to himself.

"Yeah."

"That means, if I leave you for more than half an hour, you'll die?"

"Unfortunately, yes," she replied wondering why he wasn't questioning her sanity."You believe me?"

"Sadly yes, I do."

"Wow, mom told me she had a hard time convincing dad. Never thought it'd be this easy," Lyra mused out loud.

"Oh. I was easy because of the things I've seen in my life," Dean said to her.

"What things?" she questioned, trying to guess where this was going.

"You believe in witches and their curses?" he asked to which she nodded."Okay, so believe in the other supernatural things too; because they are real. And I hunt them."

"Other supernatural things as in ghosts, demons, vampires, werewolves and the likes?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, though I am not too sure about the vampires," he replied.

"And you hunt them?"

"Yes."

"You're insane." She searched his face for any hidden mockery but only found truthful seriousness. He wasn't lying or teasing.

"Why is it so hard to believe when you are cursed by a witch yourself?" he retaliated.

"I believe you. How can I of all people be a skeptical? It's just too much to take in right now." She was still trying to absorb the information. Not only was the mythical supernatural world real but her husband hunted the evil things. 'Great! Just what I needed,' she thought sarcastically. 'But at least he believes me.'

"So what now?" she asked him.

"A cup of coffee," Dean said smiling innocently.

She laughed,"Alright then come on." She stood up and went downstairs to the kitchen with Dean following right behind. "How do you take it?"

"Black. No sugar or cream."

"Sure." And she went on to make a 'good morning' coffee. She was done in no time. She set Dean's coffee in front of him at the dining table and sat across from him.

"So Dean, I would have to move with you, right?"

"Yes. I can't stay here; I have a job to do. But let me tell you that a hunter's life is not the best one. You'll be on the road mostly, staying in motels, eating diner food, breaking laws now and then, and above all hunting creatures that may kill you. So I'll have to train you, otherwise you won't survive with me."

"I won't survive without you either," she muttered rolling her eyes.

"Yeah. You'll have to learn everything starting from the basics. And you'll do exactly as I say." Dean said sternly, looking right in her eyes.

But she wasn't intimidated," Oh no, I won't."

"Yes. You will. Otherwise you'll get both of us killed," he replied not so sweetly, sipping his daily dose of caffeine.

"Fine. But only during hunts," she said defeated. "When are we leaving?"

"ASAP."

"I have things to do before I leave. Like selling this house," she said thinking what else she needed to do in order to leave.

"Okay. We'll stay for another day," he agreed. "Hey, do you have any proof to support your curse story?" Dean asked her suddenly.

"You don't believe me."

"No it's just for measures."

"I understand. Wait here," she went to her parents' room and retrieved an old, fragile looking piece of paper. "This is the letter Margaret wrote to her daughter to tell her about the curse."

Dean took it and examined it. The paper and ink both were very dry and old looking. The letter was not fake. "The curse is surely real," Dean said under his breath.

"Satisfied?" she asked and he nodded in response.

Both of them were silent for some time, just thinking, when suddenly Dean exclaimed, "My car!"

She jumped in surprise, "what happened?"

"Where's my car?" he asked frantically, running to the door. He opened it roughly and looked out but the Impala wasn't there. "Oh my God! Where's my baby?"

"You probably left it at the bar; considering you were drunk, you wouldn't have driven it," she said coming out of the house.

He looked at her horrified and panicked. "I have to get my baby back."

"The bar is not far from here. Just 10 minutes walk," she locked the door behind her and put the keys in her pocket. "Come on, I'll show you."

They walked to the bar silently. With Dean on the verge of a panic attack. Lyra found it amusing that a tough guy like him would react like this on losing his car. 'He must really love it,' she thought.

When they got to the bar, Dean ran at top speed to his beloved Impala. He checked it over for any damage and sighed in relief when he found none. "I missed you baby," he said, stroking it.

"A '67 Impala. I am impressed," Lyra commented on seeing the car.

"Why won't you be? It's the best damn car in the world."

"Of course it is," she chuckled at the proud expression on his face.

"Get in."

Dean was driving the car towards her house when he spotted a diner. "You hungry?"

"Hell yes."

They were sitting at a table in the diner, waiting for their order to arrive when Lyra spoke up, "So Dean, you got any family?"

"Father and a li'l brother."

"Hunters?"

"Just my Dad."

"And your brother?"

"He quit. He is in a college."

"How old?"

"22 years."

"And you?"

"26"

"Does your Dad hunt with you?"

"Usually. But sometimes we hunt alone."

"Like right now?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been hunting?"

"My whole life. And what is this? 20 questions?" he asked irritated.

"Kind of."

"So now it's my turn. What about your family?"

"Dad died this April and Mom followed because of the curse. I am an only child. Not close to other relatives."

"Your birthday?"

"21st March."

"How old are you?"

"18."

"Have you graduated?"

"Yes. This year."

"Future plans?"

"A honeymoon with my husband," she replied with amusement in her eyes. And Dean didn't fail her. He choked on the water he was drinking and his expression was priceless. She couldn't help it, she burst out laughing. Everyone in the diner turned to look at them but Lyra didn't care. She continued laughing so hard that her sides were hurting and she was almost out of her seat. Dean just sat there staring at her.

"This is not funny," he said annoyed.

"Oh yes it is," she gasped out. She controlled herself and sat upright still smiling widely. The waitress served their order, all the while throwing flirty glances and sexy smiles at Dean. And Dean didn't disappoint her, he smirked at her hotly. Lyra rolled her eyes and kicked Dean in the shin. He glared at her and then continued to stare at the waitress' retreating form.

"So, anything else I need to know about you?" Dean asked resuming their previous conversation.

"No, there's nothing important unless you want to know your wife's hobbies," she said innocently.

Dean cringed at the wife word and Lyra started laughing again.

"You are so easy to tease," she said chuckling.

"Shut up."

After they reached home, Lyra started her work. She called her family lawyer, property agent to tell them she wanted to sell her house ASAP. She made a list of bills she had to pay. Meanwhile, Dean took a shower and watched TV. They had picked up his bag and checked out of the motel after breakfast.

"I am going to Mrs. Hudson, our next door neighbor. She had said that her daughter wants a car, so I'll offer her my parents' car," Lyra said as went to the door. "I won't take long."

"Okay."

Lyra talked to the 55 something woman; she had a son and a daughter. Her daughter, Kate, married with a child was luckily there and she agreed to buy the car. To Lyra's surprise she also wanted a house and Lyra happily offered to sell her house to her. Everything was set, Lyra had called her lawyer and he said that the papers would be ready to sign tomorrow.

While Lyra was gone Dean called his Dad who surprisingly picked up.

"Hello," John's gruff voice said.

"Hey Dad it's me Dean."

"What happened?" John asked.

"Dad… I uh… I got married yesterday," Dean hesitantly said into the phone. Silence was all he got. So he explained further, "It was a mistake Dad, we were both drunk."

"Get an annulment," John said finally.

"That's the problem Dad, we can't. Her family is cursed."

"Cursed? How?" John asked with little curiosity.

"The daughters of her family, once they marry someone, they can't leave him. If the wife gets separated from the husband for more than 30 mins, she would die," Dean told his Dad dreading his reaction.

"And so you can't leave her." John sighed. "I am disappointed Dean. You got so drunk that you married someone unknowingly. Too much drinking is suicide in our business and you know that!"

"I know Dad, I am sorry. I didn't mean this to happen," Dean apologized to his father.

"Did you cross check her story?" John asked.

"Yes Sir. She showed me a letter that her great great grandmother had written to her daughter telling her about the curse. It's very old and genuine," Dean replied.

"Hm. Alright. You have no choice but to take her with you. But she is your responsibility Dean, you must look after her," John said sternly.

"Yes Sir."

"Is that all?" John questioned.

"Yes, that'll be all," Dean said and heard the ending click of his father's phone. "Well, that went okay."

Lyra returned 20 mins later after she stepped out of the house. "Hey, I got a buyer for the car as well as the house. I just need to pack everything now."

"Need any help?" Dean offered, standing up.

"Sure, why not?" And with that they both got to work. They had breaks for lunch and dinner but other than that they worked non-stop. It was bed time now.

"About the sleeping arrangement," Lyra started but Dean cut her off.

"I'll take the guest room."

"No, uh I mean… don't get me wrong but we'd have to share a room," she said embarrassed. "Mom once said that walls were a kind of separation."

"Okay, then I'll take the floor," Dean suggested.

"No. You don't have to sleep on the floor. We can share if you have no problem," she said shyly.

"Uh okay. I'll stay on my side and you stay on yours."

"Deal," she agreed with a small shy smile.

The next day came too soon but they were all ready and packed. Lyra had kept only the necessary and her favorite belongings as Dean had instructed her. The rest was going to charity or to Mrs. Hudson if she wanted to keep anything. They signed the contract after breakfast; the cheque was to be submitted into her bank account by her trustworthy lawyer.

Lyra, Dean and the Hudson family were currently standing on the drive way. Lyra had introduced Dean as a close family friend who was there to take her to her uncle i.e. Dean's father. Lyra didn't socialize much. She had a few friends here but they were all busy so she thought why bother them. Mrs. Hudson was a sweet neighbor who had helped her when her parents died. Her parents were good friends with the widowed lady so she at least deserved a proper goodbye.

"We'll miss you Lyra," Mrs. Hudson said giving Lyra a hug.

"I'll miss you all too. But I need to go," Lyra hugged the lady back.

"Don't be a stranger. Okay?"

"I won't. I'll keep in touch," Lyra said sincerely. She and Dean got in the car.

"Okay then. Take care of yourself sweetheart. Bye," the old lady said waving at them.

"You too. Bye." Lyra waved back at her now ex-neighbors.

"Now where are we going?" Lyra asked Dean, toying with her silver wedding ring. She was slowly trying to get used to it. The ring was simple but elegant; probably given by the priest to them. A similar but masculine ring was on Dean's left ring finger. He too was adjusting to it. The fact that they were married felt surreal to them.

"Hunting," was Dean's answer.


	2. Need a ride? Part 1

**A/N: Hey guys! I decided to do another chapter before Pilot but I broke it in two parts. Here's the first one. Hope you like it. And thanks for your support. Please review because they encourage me to write more.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters. But Lyra and the story related to her is my own idea.**

2 weeks had passed since Lyra left her home and joined Dean on the road. And for Lyra, these 2 weeks were not easy at all. She had so many things to get used to; like sharing a room with a man, having no time alone and above all hunting evil supernatural things. Dean had started her training from day one and Lyra was trying her best to learn everything in the least possible time. But it was no walk in the park. She quickly learned the theory she found interesting but the boring ones took hours to even understand. Her shooting skills were just average, 6 out of 10; and she was working hard to improve them. Dean was not easy on her when they fought hand to hand because he knew that she can do very well in it. And Lyra didn't disappoint him; hand to hand combat were so far her best forte, though she was far from being called a master.

It was not only Lyra who had to adjust; Dean's life had changed too. His usual 'hello babe at night and goodbye in the morning' routine no longer existed. He too was with a girl 24x7, a girl who was his wife. That four letter word scared Dean to no end but thanks to Lyra, it wasn't that awkward as he thought it would be. They both knew that a normal husband-wife relationship was not possible between them; what with the wide 8 year age gap they had. But let us not go that far. They were friends and it was as comfortable as it can be in this complicated situation. For now, at least.

They were currently heading to Jefferson, Idaho. So far, 3 persons were found strangled to death in their cars on the outskirts roads of Rigby and the police has found no suspect or clue yet.

"I am bored," Lyra complained from the passenger seat of the Impala.

"Then what can I do?" Dean retorted, he himself was fed up of those three words. Whenever they were in the car, Lyra would be bored within 5 minutes and start annoying him with her whining.

"You can play a clown for me or maybe we can gossip," she replied smiling sweetly at him.

"Sarcasm isn't going to get you anywhere sweetheart," Dean shot her a smirk. "You should know that by now. And do whatever you want but stop eating my head off."

"But I just started, this is not fair," she said pouting and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Why don't you sleep for some time?" he asked turning his head to look at her.

"I am not tired."

"Then do some research on the case, it would do some help. "

"There is nothing more to research on," she said distractedly, racking his music collection to find something good. She found what she wanted, and Metallica blazed from the speakers after she pushed play. She smiled satisfied and closed her eyes to relax.

Dean watched her from the corner of his eye and a small smile played on his lips. He shook his head at her child-like and innocent behavior. 'She shouldn't have been dragged in this world, she doesn't deserve this life,' he thought sadly. To Dean, Lyra was someone he always had to protect. Her life depended on him and he had vowed that he'd keep her safe until his last breath. He wondered how quickly he has become attached to her. John's words rang in his head 'she is your responsibility; you must look after her.' Yes, she was his responsibility but it was not just that. He cared about her like he cared about his family. 'She has her way to people's heart,' he thought smiling widely.

"What are you smiling at?" Lyra asked breaking his reverie.

"Nothing," he replied, embarrassed that she had caught him.

"Then get your head checked. Only crazy people smile at nothing."

"You just can't shut up, can you?"

"Now where's the fun in that?" And they were back to their normal selves, trying to annoy the other.

It was noon when they reached Rigby. They went to the Jefferson County's Sheriff's office posing as FBI agent and trainee to collect more information on the case. They then interviewed the families of the victims and now were driving to find a motel.

"So the victims are not connected in any way, they were found in different areas and roads, there were no prints or evidence that another person had been with them, now what do we do?" Lyra questioned from her seat.

"We book a room and settle in. Then we'll worry about this, there has to be something," Dean said pulling in front of a motel. He got out, followed by Lyra and they made their way to the manager's office.

"How may I help you?" a middle aged man said from behind the counter.

"We want a room for a couple of days," Dean replied cracking a wide smile.

"Sure, we have a honeymoon suite with-"

"No, no. We just need two queens," Dean cut off the manager quickly. Lyra was blushing beside him, looking down.

"Oh. I am sorry. I thought you two were married," he said apologetically and typed away on his computer.

"That we are," Dean muttered handing his credit card to him but the manager seemed to catch it because he looked up and stared at him confusedly.

"Never mind. Here's your key Mr. Aframian. Have a nice stay," the manager said using Dean's alias which was written on the credit card.

Once they were settled in the room, Lyra sighed and looked at Dean who was sitting on his bed, "what do we do now?"

"Hand me your laptop," Dean said extending his hand.

Lyra obliged and then sat at her own bed. "What are you looking for?"

"I am searching for a road map. The bodies were found at different roads but there might be something in common," he replied without looking up from the screen.

"Like a road?" Lyra supplied.

"Yeah. Exactly that. Look here; though the victims' starting and ending places were different, they crossed the same road once in their way."

"Something happened to them on that road?"Lyra asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Most probably. There is nothing else that connects the victims," Dean said. He was trying to think of what could have happened on that road.

"Maybe someone hitch hiked a ride and later killed them?"Lyra guessed. "It could have been a human and maybe we don't have to bother."

"Did you not read the autopsy reports? Something with scales strangled them, like a fish or snake. Where can you get a scaly rope or wire or cloth?" Dean yelled at her. He was frustrated with the case; there was no sulfur or ectoplasm in the cars of the victims, so no demon or ghost. He couldn't figure out what thing was doing this and Lyra's attitude pushed him over the edge.

"Geez, relax dude. Okay fine, this is surely our kind of case," she held her hands up in a placating cum surrendering gesture.

Dean ignored her and resumed his search for the guilty. After a few failed attempts, Lyra took the laptop from him and typed a few things. A result popped up and she turned the screen to let Dean have a look.

"A 'Devalpa'? What the hell is that?" Dean asked but continued to read. "They stand by the road, disguised as an old man and ask people to give them a ride. Once someone agrees they hop on his shoulder and two long snakes like things come out of their bellies coiling around the man's neck. If the man then refuses to serve the Devalpa, it kills him," he read out loud.

"But our friend here, instead of hopping on people's shoulder rides in their car," Lyra mused.

"The victims didn't go where they were supposed to. They detoured."

"Maybe the Devalpa asked them to take it there," Lyra guessed.

"But here it says that if they take the Devalpa wherever it wants then they survive," Dean said pointing to the laptop.

"Maybe this Devalpa doesn't leave its victims alive. It kills them after its work is done," Lyra spoke her ideas.

"Yeah anything is possible. Maybe it hitchhikes just for a fun ride and then a fun kill," Dean said jokingly.

"But how do we kill it? There is nothing here except that Sinbad got the sea Devalpa, which was riding on his shoulders, drunk and then bashed his head, killing it. Think this would work?" Lyra cocked an eyebrow at Dean.

"How the hell would I know? We could just try it tonight," he shrugged.

"Tonight?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Yes. It comes at night and if we are lucky enough we'd catch this bastard tonight. It doesn't have a fixed pattern; the killings were irregular."

"So, we'll just drive around whole night hoping that he comes? I am so not doing this. I need to sleep for God's sake," Lyra cried.

"Get used to it sweetheart. And besides it'll be like a long drive. Feel lucky because Dean Winchester never takes girls on a drive," Dean said cheekily, throwing her a wink.

"Oh I am so honored," Lyra said bitterly.

Dean just smiled, ruffling her hair and then went into the bathroom to take a shower.

After they both had showered and packed their supplies, they headed to a diner. Lyra ordered a club cheese sandwich and Dean was having a bacon cheeseburger.

"So, what is our plan B?" Lyra asked taking a sip from her coke.

"Nothing, all we know is to get him drunk and then kill it" Dean said in reply.

"And how exactly are we going to do that? The Devalpa knows its weakness too. He'll surely refuse to drink."

"We'll try, alright. And if he refuses to drink then we'll improvise. But we have to get him unconscious," Dean knew that getting the Devalpa drunk wasn't going to be easy but they had no other choice.

"Okay, whatever. But if I die today, I'll haunt your ass for the rest of your life," Lyra said glaring mockingly at him.

"Then, let's try that you don't die," Dean waved her off. "You ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's just go."


	3. Need a ride? Part 2

"Why does it have to come out at night? Can't it hitch-hike in the evening or something? We hunters have to sleep god damn it!" Lyra burst out suddenly and it was justified. They had started patrolling at around 8:30 and nearly 3 hours had passed without any incident. Lyra was out of ideas on how to kill her time let alone how to stay awake. She had woken up at 5 that morning, thanks to Dean. She was not used to staying awake this long but Dean was. He too had woken early but he knew how to handle lack of sleep during hunts.

"That's why they are called the 'things that go bump into the night'," Dean said trying to cheer her up. "You can sleep if you want."

"What if I sleep and the Devalpa comes? I so don't want to die while sleeping."

"I'll wake you up if I see it. Not that you'll actually be sleeping," Dean replied smiling slightly.

"Yeah. Car seats are not the most comfortable places to sleep. And considering the situation, I'll be lucky to be able to even relax," Lyra sighed, looking out into the night through the window. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" Dean asked confused.

"Keep your cool during hunts," she turned to look at him.

"Years of practice. And once you understand that anxiousness will get you nowhere, it's simple afterwards. Why? Are you scared?" he asked her seriously.

"I'd be lying if I say no. This is my first hunt, what if something goes wrong?" she was afraid that her naivety might put them both in danger.

"Everything will be fine. And it's good to be a little scared; it keeps a steady flow of adrenaline in your body. But don't let your fear control you. As long as you do that you'll be good. Trust yourself and me," Dean smiled at her. It was probably the first time he had tried to comfort someone with such a long speech. But it was worth it; they can't afford Lyra to be cowering in a corner out of fear when they actually face the Devalpa. She needed to be reassured that she can do it.

Dean pulled up to a Gas N Sip and got out, stretching his body. "You want anything?" he asked crouching down to the window level.

"Yes, coffee please," Lyra answered eagerly. Dean nodded and turned to walk away when she called, "Wait! I'll come with you." She too needed a break from sitting so long in the car.

Lyra magically stayed awake for another two and a half hours, with the help of the coffee. It was 2 am now, and Dean too was exhausted. He had been driving for over 5 hours and weariness was clearly visible on his face.

"I think we should go back. The victims were killed between 10 and 1. If it was coming tonight then it would have already shown up by now," Lyra said tiredly, stifling a yawn.

"You are right. Let's go back," Dean agreed and sped towards their motel.

The moment they entered their room, Lyra rushed to the bathroom and quickly finished her nightly routine. No matter how tired she is, she would never sleep without changing and brushing her teeth. By the time she returned, Dean was already asleep on his bed. She flopped down on her own bed and was out like a light.

Lyra woke up to the sound of running water. She looked around and found Dean's bed empty. He had woken up a few minutes ago and decided to take a shower before waking her up. Lyra took a deep breath or more like tried to. Now she noticed that she had a sore throat and a cold. It was a viral infection which she probably had gotten from the coughing man at the diner last night. She rubbed her throat, hoping that the itch there would vanish.

"Good morning sleepy head," Dean said cheerfully, coming out of the bathroom with dripping wet hair.

"You better have left some hot water for me," Lyra threatened in a hoarse voice.

"What happened to your voice?" Dean asked going over to her bed.

"Just a viral infection," she replied leaning away from Dean's hand which was on her forehead, checking her temperature. "I am fine," she insisted.

"You don't have a fever. Do you need anything for your throat?" Dean went to search the medical kit for any medicine that can help her.

"A hot cup of coffee. I'll be fine Dean, no need for meds," she assured him. "I am going to take a shower."

"I'll make coffee for you," Dean replied and made his way to the kitchenette.

After a nice hot shower, Lyra emerged from the bathroom and went straight for her coffee at the table. She sat across from Dean and took a sip. The hot liquid soothed her throat and she instantly felt better.

"Thank you," she said.

"Don't mention it. You wanna go out for breakfast or should I order?"

"I don't want to go out," she replied. She wasn't that sick but she didn't think that the outside wind would suit her.

"I'll order then. What would you like?"

"Pancakes," she said after a seconds thought. Dean nodded and picked up his phone to order.

The day passed in pretty much the same way. Dean watched TV or cleaned the guns while Lyra slept some more or else read novels.

It was time for them to go search the Devalpa, again. Lyra took a blanket with her for the cold. Dean had suggested postponing the hunt but Lyra wanted to get it over with.

"I really wish for the Devalpa to show up today," Lyra said in a rough voice.

"Me too. I just want to kill the son of a bitch and have a good night's sleep," Dean started the car and they were off to catch the Devalpa.

It was nearing midnight but the Devalpa was yet to appear. "Come on. Enough with the waiting already," Dean said with a frown on his face.

"It isn't going to hear you Dean," Lyra adjusted in her seat to get more comfortable.

"Oh, it did!" he exclaimed happily.

"What?" Lyra was on full alert mode now. She looked ahead on the road and surely there it was, disguised as an old man.

"Let's give the old man a ride?" Dean asked with a smirk.

Lyra couldn't find her voice. She was scared as hell. They were going to ride with the Devalpa, which can possibly kill them. But she needed to calm down and act normal which she did.

The old man saw the car coming and so raised his hand in the universal sign of asking for a lift. Dean slowed down and pulled up next to it.

"What happened, Sir?" he asked in fake concern.

"I live nearby with my grandson," the Devalpa pointed to an old house at a little distance. "I received a call that my grandson is injured and I am needed at the hospital. I can't drive so if you could please give me a ride," it explained with a tired smile.

"Sure. Hop on," Dean replied with a fake smile of his own.

The Devalpa opened the back door and got in. Dean started driving again. Just a few seconds later, two long snakes-like things emerged from the Devalpa's belly and wrapped around Dean's and Lyra's neck, holding them in place.

"You shouldn't give anybody a ride in your car. It can be lethal," the Devalpa said in a teasing voice. Dean was about to stop the car when it spoke again, "keep driving or else I'll choke you both to death."

Lyra was terror stricken to say the least. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was having difficulty in breathing, partially because of the cold she had. She looked over at Dean who was masking his own terror but was far much better than her.

"Now, you two don't happen to have booze with you, do you?" the Devalpa asked in a cheery tone.

Dean and Lyra looked at each other with their 'what the hell?' expressions. The Devalpa itself was asking for alcohol, when they were counting on getting it drunk. Their faces then morphed into an expression of wariness. They didn't know what to do now but they needed to think fast.

"Oh, come on. I know you two are hunters. Can't help but notice a black muscle car, driving around aimlessly for the second night in a row. So, where's the booze?" it asked, smirking at Dean through the rearview mirror.

Dean glared back at it but gave a brief nod to Lyra nonetheless. She tried to bend forward and her restraints loosened, letting her open the ice box at her feet and pull out a beer bottle. She straightened up and extended her hand backwards to hand the bottle to the Devalpa.

"Thanks lady," it accepted the bottle and took a swig from it. "Nothing like a chilled beer."

Dean and Lyra exchanged nervous glances but the Devalpa caught them.

"You are probably thinking why I am enjoying the alcohol rather than dreading it. You must be under the impression that all you have to do is get me drunk and then kill me, case solved. But you don't know one thing. We Devalpas have built a very good capacity to handle the alcohol we drink. Sorry, but I think you two will be the ones to die today, not me," it finished with a mischievous grin.

"I swear I'll kill you, bastard," Dean said in a low voice, clutching the steering wheel tightly. Almost instantly, the pressure on his throat increased and he started gasping for air.

"Dean!" Lyra screamed from the passenger seat.

"Mind your tongue, boy," the Devalpa sneered at him.

The pressure was back to a bearable degree and Dean coughed a few times before his breathing turned normal.

"Do you have whisky with you? I need something strong," the Devalpa was back to its cheery mood.

Lyra nodded and again bent forward to take the bottle out when she noticed something on the floor. It was her late mother's sleeping pills bottle which must have fallen from her box of medicines earlier sometime. An idea popped in her head. She silently but quickly opened the pill bottle and pretended to be searching for the whisky while she mixed the sleeping pills in the whisky bottle. When she was done, she handed the bottle to the Devalpa who greedily took it.

Dean had seen the whole thing but kept quiet, hoping that this idea would work. He was impressed with the way Lyra thought and acted. His words from yesterday have not gone to waste, after all.

They waited anxiously for the Devalpa to finish the bottle. They sighed in relief when it finally did. But their relief was short-lived as the Devalpa understood what Lyra had done. He was livid and a pissed off supernatural creature which has the ability to kill you easily, was never a good thing.

"What did you mix in my drink, bitch?" it yelled menacingly, squeezing Lyra's neck with its snake like extension. It was getting harder for the Devalpa to focus but it wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"Lyra!" Dean roared and stepped on the brakes, making the car to come to a screeching halt. But before he could so much as turn towards her, the snake like extension left his neck and wrapped instead on his torso, locking his arms by his side.

The Devalpa continued to strangle Lyra, and she was on the verge of passing out but the pills finally kicked in. The Devalpa's hold on them loosened and its eyes started to droop.

"You will regret this," it said one last time before loosing consciousness.

Dean wasted no time after that. He quickly pulled out a knife from his jacket and turned around. He went over the front seats and stabbed it in the heart, effectively killing it. The Devalpa transformed in its true form, with an ugly black skin.

Satisfied with his work, Dean settled back in his seat and gave out a long sigh. "Are you alright?" he turned to face Lyra, who was cupping her throat with her eyes closed.

Lyra opened her eyes slowly to look at him and shook her head. She knew that speaking right now would be too painful, so she didn't even try. Her throat was killing her with the worst pain imaginable.

Dean saw the pain on her face and felt guilty that it was her, not him, who had to face the wrath of the Devalpa. She already was sick enough.

"We have to destroy the body first," he said after a moment, motioning to the backseat. He wanted to help her but they needed to get rid of the body as soon as possible.

Lyra merely nodded and closed her eyes. Dean glanced at her one more time, and then started the car. Dean took them to the far outskirts to find an inconspicuous place where they can burn the body.

They reached the motel at around 1:30 am. Dean cut the engine off and turned to Lyra. She didn't look good at all. He touched her forehead and his eyes widened in shock. She was running a very high temperature.

He shook her gently, "Lyra. Lyra, wake up!" She opened her eyes blearily. "We're at the motel," Dean explained to clear her confusion.

She nodded and opened her door. Dean watched her get up and out of the car weakly. He quickly got out and went to help her. He put his left arm around her shoulders, gripping her left shoulder firmly to keep her up. She leaned onto him heavily, obviously needing the support.

He helped her all the way to her bed and laid her down gently. He took out her shoes and helped her shrug her jacket off. He then retrieved a thermometer from the medical kit to check her temperature. It read 104.1 degrees. Dean acted fast then. He gave her a fever medicine along with some pain meds. Lyra swallowed them without protest and immediately went to sleep.

Dean cleaned himself and changed his clothes. He checked her temperature again, only to find 0.1 degree difference. He needed to bring her temperature down, so he resorted to the usual wet cloth method. He put the bowl of cool water on the bedside stand and sat on her bed. He then placed the wet washcloth on her forehead. She stirred a little but didn't wake up.

Once Lyra's temperature was back to somewhat a normal degree, Dean decided to sleep. But he didn't actually sleep. Even the slightest cough or sneeze from Lyra would wake him up. He was basically resting with his eyes closed.

The next morning, Lyra woke with a groan and Dean was instantly on her side. She sat up and looked at him when he handed her a glass of water.

"Didn't you sleep last night?" she asked in a croaky voice, noticing his tired face with circles under his eyes.

"You had a high fever," Dean shrugged in reply.

Lyra was pleased that he stayed up all night, just to make sure she was ok. But that was how Dean was; caring and protective. She smiled brightly at him, "Thanks."

"It wasn't a problem. How are you feeling today?"

"My throat still aches but it's better than last night."

"Go clean up. I made coffee and ordered waffles for you," he instructed her.

"Yes Sir," she mock saluted him and got out of the bed going towards the bathroom.

She was greeted with the sweet smell of chocolate and coffee when she returned from the bathroom. She made her way to the small dining table and sipped her coffee happily.

"You did good last night," Dean commented once she was seated.

"You mean the sleeping pill thing?" she asked clearing her throat.

"Yeah. I told you everything will turn out fine," he replied.

"I don't think so. It nearly choked me to death," she shuddered remembering those moments of sheer and absolute terror.

"But you are alive and that's what matters. Though you still are a pain in the ass," Dean said with amusement.

"And your lovely wife," Lyra retaliated. It was always Lyra who won their arguments by mentioning the fact that she was his wife. Dean can only scowl after that.

**A/N: Hello again. I added a bit of sick Lyra and caring Dean for my first reviewer . Please tell me how it was. Next chapter will be Pilot. See you guys then.**


	4. Pilot 1

"Really Dean? Are we going to break and enter into even your brother's apartment?" Lyra asked Dean incredulously. They were outside Sam's apartment and Dean chose to pick the lock instead of simply ringing the doorbell.

"Where's the fun in knocking, huh?" Dean simply shrugged. He succeeded in picking the lock and they entered the door silently. Dean was ahead of her but she didn't bother to catch up. Suddenly Dean was tackled to the floor by someone and Lyra mentally patted her back that she was too lazy to even walk or else she could have been the one on the floor. Dean and the man wrestled around a bit until the man was pinned to the floor.

"Whoa, easy tiger," Dean said to the man who Lyra suspected was Sam.

"Dean? You scared the crap out of me." Lyra was now sure that this was Sam as he knew Dean.

"That's because you are out of practice." But Sam wasn't out of practice, he quickly flipped them over and now Dean was on the floor. "Or not. Get off of me."

Lyra watched as the two brothers stood and Sam switched on the light. Sam was yet to notice that she, too, was in the room as she was standing a little back from them.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked. The question was directed at Dean.

"Looking for a beer," Dean replied sarcastically as usual.

Sam repeated his question again, annoyed by Dean's behavior.

"We need to talk," Dean replied seriously.

"Uh, the phone?" Sam asked pointing to his phone.

"If I'd have called, would you have picked up?" Dean asked back. Sam looked guilty at that.

Someone flicked on another light, she was a pretty blond. "Sam?" she asked confused.

"Oh hey. Dean this is my girlfriend Jessica," Sam introduced her.

"Wait. Your brother Dean?" Jessica asked with a little excitement.

"I love the smurfs. I have to tell you, you are completely out of my brother's league," Dean said smirking. 'Leave it to Dean; to hit on even his brother's girlfriend,' Lyra thought.

"Just let me put something on."

"No. I wouldn't dream of it, seriously" Dean carried his flirting further.

Lyra chose that moment to let her presence known. She moved from her spot towards Dean and then hit his arm hard. "Old habits die hard Dean, right?"

Dean glared at her, the slap wasn't light and his arm hurt a little. Sam was confused to see her; who was she and what was she doing with Dean? These were Sam's actual thoughts.

"I am Lyra. Pleasure to meet you," she introduced herself, extending her right arm towards Jessica who shook it. "Please ignore Dean. I have eaten so much of his brain that there's nothing left and now he is forced to use his downstairs one. "

Sam and Jessica both laughed at that and Dean scowled at Lyra.

Next Lyra shook Sam's hand. "It's good to finally meet you Sam."

Sam smiled but he was still bewildered. He didn't know what she was doing with his brother.

"Now back to business," Dean said. "We need to burrow Sam here, talk about some private family business. But, uh, nice meeting you."

"No, no. Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of her," Sam said wrapping an arm around Jessica.

"Okay… dad hasn't been home in a few days," Dean said, giving minimum details in front of Jessica.

"So he's working over-time on a "Miller Time" shift; he'll stumble back in sooner or later," Sam wasn't concerned at all.

"Dad was on a hunting trip and hasn't been home in a few days," Dean said in a cryptic tone.

Sam finally got the hint and excused himself, "Excuse us Jessica. We have to go outside."

Once they were outside Dean turned to Sam, "We need your help, Sammy."

Sam gave out a humorless laugh, "No. I mean come on. You can't just break in, in the middle of the night and expect me to hit the road with you."

"You're not hearing me Sam. Dad's missing; and I need your help to find him," Dean explained to him.

"You remember the poltergeist in Amherst, or the Devil's Gate in Clifton? He was missing then too, he's always missing and he's always fine," Sam argued back stubbornly.

"Not for this long, now are you going to come with me or not?" Dean asked him finally.

"I'm not," Sam replied.

"Why not?" Dean was on the verge of snapping now.

"I swore I was done hunting for good," Sam had his own reasons to reject the offer.

"Come on, it wasn't easy but it wasn't that bad," Dean was trying his best to make Sam come with them.

"Yeah? When I told dad I was afraid of the thing in my closet he gave me a .45," Sam said with incredulity in his voice.

"Well, what was he suppose to do?" Dean asked getting annoyed.

"I was 9 years old. He was supposed to say 'don't be afraid of the dark'," Sam cried.

"Don't be afraid of the dark? What, are you kidding me? of course you should be afraid of the dark! You know what's out there!" Dean shot back disbelievingly.

"Yeah I know but still, the way we grew up after mom was killed, and dad's obsession to find the thing that killed her, but we still haven't found the damn thing, so we kill everything we can find," Sam wasn't in the mood to give up.

"And save a lot of people doing it," Dean reasoned.

"You think mom would have wanted this for us?" Sam said softly. "The weapon training and melting the silver into bullets? Man, Dean, we were raised like warriors," his voice got stronger at the end.

"So, what are you gonna do? You just gonna live a normal, apple-pie life? Is that it?" Dean retaliated.

"Not normal. Safe," Sam answered.

"Is that why you ran away?" Dean scoffed.

"I was just going to college. It was dad who said if I was gonna go, I should stay gone. And that's what I'm doing," Sam said bitterly.

"Yeah well dad's in real trouble if he's not dead already, I can feel it. We need your help; we can't do this without you," Dean pleaded desperately. He really wanted his brother back.

"Yes you can," Sam replied calmly.

"Well, I don't want to," Dean finally accepted his true intentions.

They had reached the car by now. Lyra had stayed quiet the whole way. She didn't want to intrude in their brotherly talk.

"What was he hunting?" Sam sighed.

Dean opened the trunk and grumbled, looking around for something, "Where did I put that thing?"

"So, when dad left why didn't you go with him?" Sam asked.

"I haven't met him for over a month now. But we stayed in touch. And now, he isn't even answering his calls or calling back," Dean explained.

"Dad left you alone to hunt?" Sam couldn't believe what he had been just told.

"Dude, I'm 26," Dean replied, feeling indignant. He found what he was searching for and turned to Sam, "So, dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop outside of Jericho, California. About a month ago this guy," he handed him a picture, "they found his car but he'd vanished, completely M.I.A."

"So, maybe he was kidnapped," Sam shrugged.

"Yeah well, here's another one in April, another one in December '04, '03, '98, '92; Ten of them over the past 20 years, all men, all same 5-mile stretch of road. Started happening more and more so dad went to go dig around. That was about three weeks ago. I hadn't heard from him since, which is bad enough." Dean pulled out his phone and scrolled to a voicemail, "and then I get this voicemail."

Dean pushed the play button and John's voice came over, "Dean, something is starting to happen, I think it's serious. I need to try to figure out what's going on. Be very careful Dean. We're all in danger." There was heavy static in the voicemail.

"You know there's EVP on that?" Sam asked.

"Not bad, Sammy. Kind of like riding a bike isn't it?" Dean smiled at him. "Well, Lyra-" Dean looked around for Lyra and found her standing a few feet away from them.

At the mention of her name, Lyra had looked up and saw Dean searching for her. When their eyes met, she rolled hers, thinking how quickly he forgot about her. Sam also looked at her in confusion.

"Well, Lyra slowed the message down, and ran it through a Gold Wave, took out the hiss, and this is what we got," Dean said and played another clip. It was a woman's voice, "I can never go home."

"Never go home," Sam repeated.

Dean threw everything inside and slammed the trunk shut. "You know in almost two years I've never bothered you. Never asked you for a thing," Dean started again.

"All right. I'll go. I'll help you find him. But I have to get back first thing Monday. Just wait here," Sam turned to go but Dean stopped him.

"What's first thing Monday?" Dean asked him seriously.

"I have this…I have an interview," Sam replied hesitantly.

"What, a job interview? Skip it," Dean smirked at him.

"It's a law-school interview, and it's my whole future on a plate," Sam said defensively.

"Law school?" Dean questioned.

"So we got a deal or not?" Sam asked once and for all, to which Dean nodded and Sam went inside to pack.

"I guess, I'll be having the backseat today," Lyra asked moving forward towards Dean. "Not exactly a problem, I can sleep a little."

Dean turned around to face her. He had almost forgotten that she was there. "Yeah. Looks like it."

"Happy that he's finally coming?" Lyra asked as if talking to a child. Dean just made a face at her and got in the car.

After a few minutes of driving, Sam noticed the silver band on Dean's finger for the first time. His eyes widened in surprise, "Dude, what the hell is that?"

Dean looked at him, startled by his sudden exclamation. Sam was pointing at his left hand, more particularly at his ring. Dean looked at Lyra through the rear view mirror and she smirked at him, indicating that he was on his own on this one. She wanted to hear what Dean will say in explanation.

"It's a wedding ring, Sammy," Dean sighed.

"I know that! But the matter is, you got married and you didn't tell me?" Sam had a hurt expression on his face.

"Again, Sam. Would you have picked up my call? And leaving a message would have been like talking to a wall, which won't talk back. Is this how you tell your brother that you have gotten married?" Dean said calmly, glancing at Sam.

Sam was feeling guilty now. It was his own fault that his brother didn't tell him such big news. "I am sorry. But who's the bride?" curiosity was back on his face. It never occurred to Sam that the only girl with Dean was Lyra right now and she could be the one. He thought that she was too young to be Dean's choice in marriage.

"The girl in the backseat," Dean replied with a tilt of his head to the right.

"What? You married a jailbait?" Sam couldn't believe his ears.

"I am 18," Lyra said in her defense.

"Doesn't matter. She's still 8 years younger than you? What were you thinking?" Sam accused keeping his eyes on Dean.

"It was a mistake. We were both drunk," Dean's patience was thinning out.

"Does dad know about this?" Sam asked.

"Yes."

"And?" Sam pushed for more.

"He accepted it," Dean shrugged.

"He what?" Sam was staring at Dean in disbelief. "I wanted to go to college and he flipped out; but you marry some random girl and he accepts it?" Sam was angry at his father's biased behavior.

"There's more to this marriage than you know Sam," Dean defended his father.

"What do you mean? And wait! You said that it was a mistake. Then why didn't you get it annulled?" Sam asked in confusion.

"Patience, Sammy. I was just going to explain you that." Dean looked at Lyra one more time. She had a somber expression on her face. "Lyra's blood is cursed. If she marries someone, she can't stay away from him for more than 30 minutes or else she'll die. So, even if we had gotten the marriage annulled, she would have to stick with me 24x7, and so we thought 'why bother'?"

"Oh. So, you can't leave her side for more than 30 minutes? That must suck," Sam pitied them. He respected people's need for private time, he himself needed it, but not having any such time was beyond his imagination. He couldn't even think what he would do if he was in Dean's shoes.

"We are used to it now. It's not that bad as it was in the beginning," Dean glanced at Lyra while saying this and she nodded in agreement.

"So, you're my sister-in-law, huh?" Sam turned in his seat to look at her.

"Seems like it," Lyra said, blushing slightly.

"Never thought Dean's wife would be younger than me, if there would be one, that is," Sam mused.

"Unexpected things happen all the time," Lyra smiled at him.

"How's my brother as a husband?" Sam asked with amusement. Dean shot him a nasty look and Sam grinned widely.

"There are many words like annoying, stupid, jerk, smartass and so on. But one describes him best and that is 'himself'. He's just Dean," Lyra replied with a smirk.

"Thanks for the compliment, kitten," Dean used her nickname he had given her.

"You are welcome, lion," Lyra used his in reply. They won't admit, but they liked their nicknames.

Sam watched the two in amusement and shook his head. 'They sure behave like a couple,' he thought smiling.

**A/N: Hey! The pilot was getting too long so I again broke it. Tell me what you think. Next update will be soon. Till then take care.**


	5. Pilot 2

**A/N: Hiya! I am back. Thanks for your reviews! Told you it'd be soon. This chapter is twice as long as the previous one. Hope it's up to your expectations.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters but Lyra is certainly my own imagination.**

The next morning the trio stopped at a gas station and Dean went to buy them breakfast. Sam stayed in the car while Lyra went for a restroom break. When they returned to the car, Sam was rummaging through Dean's music collection.

Dean offered Lyra a bar and she gladly accepted. Next he turned to Sam, "Want breakfast?"

"No thanks. How'd you pay for this stuff anyway? You and dad still running credit card scams?" Sam asked raising his eyebrows. Lyra got in the backseat and looked at Dean expectantly. She never thought much about how Dean got fake cards; she had only seen him hustle money at bars.

"Yeah well, hunting ain't exactly a pro-ball career. Beside, all we do is apply, it's not our fault they send us the cards," Dean shrugged. Lyra wondered how stupid the banks can be, handing out cards without any verification. 'Maybe the banks do verify but the frauds are just smarter. Who cares,' she thought rolling her eyes. Now she was being stupid herself.

"Yeah and what names did you write on the application this time?" Sam questioned, half curious.

"Uh… Bert Aframian and his son Hector. Scored two cards out of the deal," Dean boasted.

"Sounds about right," Sam replied, amused.

"Where do you get such names?" Lyra shook her head.

"Classy aren't they?" Dean smirked, getting back in the car.

Lyra made a face but before she could reply, Sam spoke up, "I swear man; you gotta update your cassette-tape collection."

"Why?" Dean was offended by the remark. Music was one of the things for which he would not tolerate any insult.

"Well for one they are cassette tapes and two-" Sam paused to take out a few tapes. "Black Sabbath? Motor-head? Metallica? It's the greatest hits of mullet rock."

Dean snatched a tape out of his hands and inserted in the player, "House rules, Sammy. Driver picks the music and shotgun shuts his cakehole."

Lyra snickered at that. She personally had no problem with Dean's music but she sympathized with Sam. Listening to the same songs over and over bored her.

"You know Sammy is a chubby 12 years old. It's Sam, okay?" Sam scowled at Dean.

"I'm sorry, can't hear you. The music's too loud," Dean deliberately increased the volume and pulled out of the station.

A few miles before Jericho, Sam called every hospital to check for his dad. "All right, so there's no one matching dad at the hospitals or the morgue. So, that's something, I guess," Sam said after hanging up his last call.

"Check it out," Dean pointed to a bridge with police cars all around. "You wanna come?" he asked Lyra.

"What will I do here?" Lyra asked with a raised eyebrow.

Dean nodded and pulled out three fake IDs, giving Sam and Lyra theirs. Lyra was too young to be an agent so she posed as a trainee. "Let's go," Dean said over his shoulder while getting out.

"Did you guys find anything?" a police officer yelled at some guy.

"No, nothing!" he shouted back.

"No sign of struggle, no footprints, no fingerprints. Spotless, it's almost too clean," another officer said after inspecting the victim's car.

"So this kid Troy, he's dating your daughter isn't he?" one asked.

"Yeah" another replied.

"How's Amy doing?" the first one asked.

"She's putting up missing posters downtown" the second one said.

"You fella's had another one just like this last month, didn't ya?" Dean went up to them and asked with confidence.

"Who are you?" the officer questioned suspiciously.

"Federal Marshals," Dean smiled in arrogance, showing off his fake ID. Lyra followed suit.

"You are a little young for Marshals, aren't you?" he eyed them critically, especially Lyra.

"I am a trainee," she said in her defense.

"Thanks, that's awfully kind of you. You did have another one just like this correct?" Dean resumed his inquiry.

"Yeah, about miles up the road" the officer replied. "There have been others before that."

"So this victim, you knew him?" Sam asked.

Lyra looked at him, surprised at his ability to act and lie. She had seen Dean do this but this was Sam's first time after 4 years. 'Must be natural to him, what with them being trained for this since their childhood,' she thought. She still couldn't lie so convincingly like them.

"In a town like this, everybody knows everybody," the officer commented.

"Any connections between the victims? Besides that they're all men?" Dean asked, acting as if he was inspecting the car.

"No, not so far as we can tell," the officer answered.

"So what's the theory?" Sam asked, joining Dean beside the car.

"Honestly," the officer said. "We don't know. Serial murder? Kidnapping ring?"

"Well, that is exactly the kind of crack police work that I'd expect out of you guys," Dean remarked. Lyra turned to him in shock but there was a hint of amusement in her eyes while Sam stomped on his foot.

"Thank you for your time, officer," Sam nodded at them with a nervous smile.

The three started towards the impala and Dean smacked Sam on the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Sam rubbed his head.

"Why do you have to step on my foot?" Dean shot back.

"Why do you have to talk to police like that?" Sam retaliated. Lyra shook her head at their banter.

Dean stopped walking, making Lyra and Sam stop too. "Come on. They don't really know what's going on. We're all alone in this. If we're going to find dad we've gotta get to the bottom of this thing ourselves."

Sam cleared his throat, looking past Dean's shoulder. Dean and Lyra turned to see the officer with two other investigators.

"Can I help you three?" the officer asked in a suspicious tone.

"No Sir. We were just leaving," Dean answered with a charming smile. He nodded at the other two officers and the three walked back swiftly to their car.

They decided to look for the last victim's girlfriend, Amy, who was hanging posters for her missing boyfriend. They drove for a while and found her by some theatre.

"You must be Amy," Dean said once they reached her.

"Yeah," she turned around surprised.

"Troy told us about you. We are his uncles. I am Dean, this is Sammy. And his cousin Lyra," he introduced. Lyra waved a hello and the girl smiled slightly in response.

"He never mentioned you to me," she replied doubtfully.

"Well, that's Troy I guess," Dean covered up. "We're not around much; we're up in Modesto. So we're looking for him too, and we're kind of asking around."

"Hey, are you okay?" another girl came up to them. Amy nodded at her, smiling reassuringly.

"Do you mind if we ask you a couple questions?" Sam asked the girls and they agreed. They all went to a nearby diner and took a table.

"I was on the phone with Troy. He was driving home," Amy told them. "He said he would call me right back, and he never did."

"He didn't say anything strange or out of the ordinary?" Sam prodded.

"No, nothing I can remember," she replied.

Lyra had opted to stay quiet and observe. She usually did the same with Dean. She also wasn't used to Sam's presence and it would take time for her to be comfortable around him. But there was one more reason for her quietness; she felt like the third wheel. The brothers made a good team together as they were used to hunting but she was still learning. So she didn't interfere in their fast paced work.

"I like your necklace," Sam commented, pointing at Amy's neck.

"Troy gave it to me. Mostly to scare my parents with all that devil stuff," the girl replied, taking a hold of the pendant.

"Actually, it means just the opposite," Sam explained. "A pentagram is protection against evil, really powerful. I mean, if you believe in that kind of thing" he added the last part to avoid any doubts.

"Okay, thank you 'Unsolved Mysteries'," Dean mocked Sam's remark. "Here are the deal ladies-the way Troy disappeared—something's not right. So if you've heard anything…" he trailed off.

Amy and her friend glanced at each other which didn't go unnoticed. "What is it?" Dean asked seriously.

"Well, it's just…with all these guys going missing, people talk," Amy replied reluctantly.

"What do they talk about?" Sam and Dean spoke at the same time.

"It's kind of this local legend," the friend answered. "This one girl, she got murdered out on Centennial like…decades ago. Well supposedly she's still out there. She hitchhikes, and whoever picks her up—" she paused. "Well, they disappear forever." Lyra looked at Dean, who himself was sharing a look with Sam.

Next, they went to the library to search about the legend. Dean took the computer and typed 'female murder hitch-hiking' which came up with 'no results found'. He typed 'female murder centennial highway' and again there were no results.

Sam tried to take the mouse from Dean, "let me try."

But Dean slapped his hand away, "I got it." Sam pushed Dean's chair out of the way in reply. "Dude," Dean said annoyed. "You're such a control freak."

"So angry spirits are born out of violent death, right?" Sam asked ignoring Dean's comment.

"Yeah" he replied.

"Maybe it's not murder" he proposed. He typed in 'female suicide centennial highway' and a result came up.

Lyra was impressed with Sam's way of thinking. She took a seat beside him and smiled at him appreciatively. He returned her smile with a modest smile of his own.

"This was 1981. Constance Welch, 24 years old; Jumps off Sylvania Bridge, drowns in the river," Sam read from the article.

"Does it say why she did it?" Dean asked coming up behind him.

"Yeah" Sam replied. "An hour before they found her, she calls 911. Her two little kids are in the bathtub, she leaves them alone for a minute, she comes back, and they aren't breathing. Both die."

"'Our baby's were gone and Constance just couldn't bear it,' said husband, Joseph Welch" Sam read.

"Does that bridge look familiar to you?" Dean pointed at the photo on the screen. It was the same bridge they had been to, in the morning.

It was night time and they were waiting on the bridge for the spirit to show up.

"So this is where Constance took the swan dive" Dean said, looking down the bridge.

"So you think dad would have been here?" Sam asked.

"Well he's chasing the same story and we're chasing him" Dean shrugged in response.

"Okay so now what?" Sam wasn't satisfied with his answer.

"Now we keep digging till we find him, it might take a while."

"Dean, I told you, I've gotta get back by—" Sam was interrupted by Dean.

"Monday." Dean said shortly. "Right, the interview."

"Yeah," Sam sighed. He knew Dean wasn't happy about his interview.

"Yeah, I forgot," Dean said sarcastically. "You're really serious about this aren't you? You think you're just gonna become some lawyer? Marry your girl?"

"Maybe. Why not?" Sam shrugged. "You got married too," he pointed at Lyra, who was standing beside Dean.

Lyra didn't like herself being dragged into their argument. But she said nothing.

"You know why that happened," Dean glanced at Lyra once. "But does Jessica know the truth about you? I mean, does she know about the things you've done?" Dean turned the tables once again.

"No and she's not ever going to know" Sam said in a bitter and cold voice.

"Well that's healthy," Dean scoffed. "You can pretend all you want, Sammy. But sooner or later you're going to have to face up to who you really are." Dean turned and started walking away but Sam was not going to let it go.

"Who is that?" Sam's voice had risen a little.

"One of us," Dean replied.

"No, I'm not like you. This is not going to be my life," Sam said, stubbornly.

"Well you've got a responsibility," Dean's tone was calm.

"To dad and his crusade?" Sam asked incredulously. "If it weren't for pictures I wouldn't even know what mom looks like. What difference would it make? Even if we do find the thing that killed her, mom's gone, and she isn't coming back."

The reaction was instant. Dean grabbed Sam by the collar and pushed him against the bridge rail.

"Don't talk about her like that," Dean warned in a menacing voice.

Lyra didn't know what to do but she couldn't just stand by and watch. So she grabbed Dean's right arm and tugged lightly. Dean let go of Sam hesitantly and looked at her. She had a nervous expression and so Dean softened his face a little to make her relax. But the relief was short lived as Sam tapped on Dean's shoulder to get his attention. He turned to see a woman with long, dark hair in a white dress. She was standing on the side of the bridge and then she fell. They all ran to where she was standing and looked down into the water but there was no sign of her.

"Where'd she go?" Dean asked looking around.

"I don't know," Sam replied, clueless. A car engine started up and they turned to see the Impala's light on. "Who's driving your car?" Sam asked.

Dean pulled out the keys from his pocket and they all stared at the car. It started speeding towards them, making them run in the other direction. When it got dangerously close, they jumped from the bridge. Dean had a hold of Lyra's hand so she jumped alongside him. She succeeded in grabbing the rail but Dean didn't and due to his weight Lyra couldn't hold on to it.

Sam had been lucky to keep a hold on the railing. He managed to pull himself up and looked around for Dean and Lyra.

"Dean!" he shouted leaning over the rail. "Lyra!"

Dean came out of the water and pushed himself on the bank. "What?" he shouted back to Sam.

"Are you all right?" Sam asked back.

"I am super," Dean replied. "Where's Lyra?"

"She's not here," Sam answered, looking for any movement in the water.

"Lyra!" Dean called and his eyes swept the area.

"I am here," Lyra responded from a little distance away. Dean made his way to her and helped her stand.

"Are you okay?" he asked checking for any injuries.

"I am fine," she replied weakly. "Let's just go back."

Once they reached up, Dean immediately went to check his car. Lyra was silently sulking about how she needed a shower ASAP to clean herself.

"Car alright?" Sam asked.

"Yeah whatever she did to it, it seems all right now," Dean sighed in relief. "That Constance chick—what a bitch!"

"And you Dean, what an idiot!" Lyra snapped.

Sam and Dean looked at her with wide eyes. She had stayed quiet the whole day, so her outburst surprised them.

"Why? What did I do?" Dean asked, bewildered.

"Couldn't you have grabbed the railing or better, let go of my hand so that I didn't had to fall with you?" she was angry at him.

"Sorry that I didn't get a chance, sweetheart," he replied sarcastically.

"Whatever. Can't we go already?" her patience was wearing out. She really needed a shower.

"Yeah, dude. You smell like a toilet," Sam wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Dean glared at him but complied and they all piled up in the car. They found a motel nearby and coincidently John also booked a room there. So, instead of taking another room, they went to his room. And Lyra got a chance to pick the lock which she did in a few seconds.

"I am taking a shower," Lyra informed the brothers and made a beeline for the bathroom.

After 25 minutes, Dean banged on the bathroom door, "Hey. You wanna die in there? It's been 25 minutes."

"M coming," she called back.

"You already took 10 minutes more than your usual time. How much more?"

She opened the door and got out. "Everyone is not like you Dean. We actually shower in there," she smirked.

"I bet that if you ever die from the curse it'll be because you actually showered in there," he retaliated and pushed her aside to go in the bathroom.

Lyra dumped her dirty clothes by her bag and took out a comb. Sam was on his phone, talking to Jessica probably. When he was done, Lyra asked, "These are for protection, right?" She pointed to the salt lines and cat-eyes shell.

"Yeah. Ghosts and demons can't cross it," Sam answered.

"And what's this about?" she gestured to the walls which were covered in newspaper articles.

"Research about the case. Dad figured it out," he replied.

"What?" she asked.

"It's a woman in white," he chuckled a little.

"Oh, I've read about it. She lures men, who are unfaithful to their wife or girlfriend, to give her a ride and then kills them," Lyra nodded to herself.

"Yeah, that's correct," Sam agreed.

Dean came out at that moment and Lyra turned to him, "Have you been cheating on me?" Sam snickered at her question.

"What?" Dean had a 'what the hell?' look on his face. "There's no 'us'! So if I hook up with some chick, it won't be cheating."

"Well, that's too bad. We could have used you as bait," Lyra said with disappointment. "And in case you forgot, I am your wife," she emphasized on 'am'. "So even if there's no 'us', you being with any other woman would be cheating."

"How can I possibly get laid when you are breathing down my neck every damn minute?" Dean shot back.

"Good for you, you are safe from STDs," Lyra smirked. Sam chuckled at her come back.

"Sam!" Dean warned him to stop. "I am going to grab something to eat. You want anything?" he asked taking his jacket.

"No," Sam replied.

"You sure, Sammy? Aframian's buying," Dean urged.

"Do we really have to go? I am exhausted," Lyra said tiredly.

"Yes. I'm starving," Dean replied.

"Can't you wait till morning?"

"You are the cursed one, darling. Not me. So you gotta follow me," Dean taunted.

"Ass," she glowered at him.

"Brat."

She followed him out and they went to the Impala but then Dean noticed the cops at the front office. The manager pointed at them and the cops turned to look at Dean and Lyra.

Dean quickly dialed Sam, "Dude, five-o take off."

"What about you and Lyra?" Sam asked.

"They kind of spotted us. Go find dad." Dean hung up the call and turned to Lyra, who was fuming beside him.

"This day can't get any better. Thanks to you," she said with sarcasm dripping her voice.

"Sorry," Dean said seriously.

"It's just my bad luck," she smiled slightly. The sincerity in his voice made her feel bad. He blamed himself for everything; she didn't need him to think that this was his fault too.

"Problem officers?" Dean asked the two officers.

"So. Fake US Marshals, fake credit cards. You got anything that's real?" one of them questioned.

"My boobs," Dean smiled. Lyra shook her head, 'He will never change.'

They were cuffed and taken to the police station. The officers put Dean in one room and proceeded to take Lyra to another.

"Wait!" Lyra cried. "You can't put me in another room. I need to stay with him."

"Why? So that you two can plan to escape?" the officer scoffed.

"No. Don't you trust your security?" she satirized. "Anyway. I get claustrophobic and he's the only one who can calm me down."

"Like I'll believe that lady," the officer rolled his eyes.

"Please. My panic attacks are not something you'd like to see. I… faint and my doctor has warned that if it got worse I might go into shock or uh… have a cardiac arrest," she said, already freaking out by the idea of dying.

The cop took pity at her and agreed to keep her with Dean. She sighed in relief and sincerely thanked the officer.

"That was a good performance," Dean remarked, once they were alone. "Even I believed that."

"That was because I was actually scared. I was going to die if they had put me in some other room," Lyra exclaimed.

"I would have found a way. You're not going to die as long as I'm here," Dean stared in her eyes for emphasis.

Lyra nodded, "I know. But now, how do we get out?"

"Sam will do something," Dean relaxed in his chair. "Till then-" he was interrupted when an officer came in to keep an eye on them.

After some time, another officer opened the door and motioned for the first one to come out. They talked about a 911 call reporting some firing and they both went to help, locking the room behind them. Dean had been waiting for this; he unlocked his cuffs and then Lyra's using his special techniques. He picked the lock of the door and they quietly made their way outside, keeping out of the ways of the few remaining cops. On their way out they picked their cell phones which the cops had taken from them.

"That 911 call, was that Sam?" Lyra asked when they were a safe distance away from the station.

"Yes. Who else would it be?" Dean said proudly. He took out a diary from his jacket and flipped it open.

"What's that?" Lyra pointed at the journal, reading over Dean's shoulder.

"Dad's journal," Dean sighed.

"And you got that from?" Lyra raised her eyebrows.

"The cops probably found it in the motel room, I just stole it from them," Dean shrugged. He took out his phone and dialed Sam, "Fake 911 call Sammy? I don't know, that's pretty illegal, even for us."

"You're welcome," Sam replied, driving the impala.

"Listen we gotta talk," Dean said.

"Tell me about it," Sam took a deep breath. "So the husband was unfaithful, we are dealing with a woman in white. She's buried behind her old house. So that should have been dad's next stop."

"Sammy, would you shut up for a second?" Dean cut him off.

"I just can't figure out why he hasn't destroyed the corpse yet," Sam didn't stop.

"Well, that's what I'm trying to tell you. He's gone; dad left Jericho," Dean told him.

"What? How do you know?" Sam asked.

"I've got his journal," Dean answered.

"He left his journal? He doesn't go anywhere without that," Sam said incredulously.

"Yeah, well he did this time," Dean shrugged.

"What's it say?" Sam asked.

"Same old ex-marine crap when he wants to let us know where he's going," Dean replied, looking at the journal.

"Coordinates? Where to?" Sam questioned.

"I'm not sure yet," Dean said doubtfully.

"I don't understand, I mean what could be so important that dad would just skip out in the middle of a job?" Sam was agitated. "Dean, what the hell is going on?" Sam noticed the woman in the middle of the road at the last moment and slammed on the brakes, "Whoa!"

"Sam? What happened?" Dean asked, worried.

But Sam's phone had fallen down and he didn't have time to pick it up as the woman in white was sitting in the passenger seat. "Take me home," she said and the car shot forward. Sam tried to take control but in vain and even the doors were locked.

"Sam? Sam!" Dean shouted in the phone.

Lyra looked at him with concern in her eyes, "What happened?"

"It's Sam. Let's go," Dean pulled her with him and they ran all the way to Constance Welch's old house.

When they reached there, they heard Sam's scream from inside the car and Dean immediately pulled out his gun, shooting the woman in white which was hovering above Sam. The window of the impala shattered and the ghost disappeared.

Sam turned the car on and took it straight into the house saying, "I'm taking you home."

"Sam!" Dean and Lyra shouted at the same time. They went into the house and Dean helped Sam out of the car, "Sam, you okay?"

"I think," Sam groaned.

"Can you move?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Help me," Sam replied.

Lyra was watching Constance's ghost nervously, the woman was looking at a picture. When Sam was out of the car, a dresser came at them and they were pinned to the wall, behind it.

The lights started flickering and water flowed down the stairs. Constance's children were standing at the top, "You've come home to us, mommy."

The children were suddenly behind her. They grabbed her and all the three ghosts melted into a puddle. When they vanished, the trio moved the dresser away and walked forward.

"So, this is where she drowned her kids?" Dean pointed at the spot where they melted.

"That's why she could never go home," Sam explained. "She was too scared to face them."

"You found her weak spot. Nice work, Sammy," Dean praised.

"I wish I could say the same for you. What were you thinking shooting Casper in the face, you freak?" Sam laughed.

"Hey, saved your ass," Dean smirked. He went to check his car for damages, "I'll tell you another thing. If you screw up my car, I'll kill you." Lyra rolled her eyes at Dean's love for his car.

They were back on the road again. Lyra was resting with her eyes closed, in the backseat. Sam was looking at the map to find where the coordinates, that John had left them, pointed to.

"Okay. Here's where dad went," Sam spoke up, breaking the silence. "It's called Blackwater Ridge, Colorado."

"Sounds charming, how far?" Dean asked.

"About 600 miles," Sam replied after a seconds thought.

"If we shag ass, we can make it by morning," Dean said.

"Dean, um…" Sam hesitated.

"You are not going," Dean's face was somber.

"The interview's in 10 hours. I gotta be there," Sam reasoned.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Dean said. "I'll take you home."

Lyra could see that Dean was upset. He wanted his brother to stay with him but now Sam needed to go. They drove all night and made it to Stanford in a few hours.

Sam got out and crouched to the window level, "You'll call me if you find him?" Dean merely nodded. "Maybe I'll meet up with you three later, huh?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, all right," Dean replied with an uncaring attitude.

"Take care, Lyra," Sam smiled at her.

"You too, Sam," she returned his gesture. Sam nodded and turned to walk away.

"Sam," Dean called and turned his face to look at him. "You know we made a hell of a team back there."

"Yeah," Sam agreed but didn't catch the underlying emotion in Dean's voice.

Dean drove off, leaving Sam behind. But not for long. When Dean turned on the radio, there was heavy static on it. His mind immediately went to Sam and he took a U turn.

"What's the matter?" Lyra asked.

"Sam." Dean's one word answer was enough for her. She sat back in her seat, hoping that Sam and Jessica would be fine.

Sam's apartment was engulfed in fire by the time they reached it. Dean got out hastily and ordered Lyra to stay in the car. She didn't need anyone to tell her that; she was too scared to even get out.

After a few minutes, she saw only Dean and Sam come out. Jessica was no where to be seen. With just one look at Sam's face, Lyra understood she didn't make it.

The place became crowded in a few minutes. Firefighters and other students were surrounding the building.

The scene was familiar to Lyra. When her parents had died, paramedics and the neighbors were all around her house too. She looked at Sam's broken face and her own tear stained face clouded her mind. Jessica's sudden death was a hard blow to Sam but Lyra had been prepared for her parents' death. They had taught her to be strong in every situation because even though they were careful, accidents do happen. Lyra's parents knew that if her father died first, her mother would die too and so they wanted Lyra to be headstrong.

The slamming of the trunk pulled Lyra out of her thoughts. "We have work to do," Sam said with determination in his eyes. Determination to avenge Jessica's death.

**A/N: So? What do you think? Please review and tell me. Next chapter (possibly Wendigo) will be updated next week. Till then, bye.**


	6. Wendigo 1

Lyra was watching the scenery go by as they drove towards Blackwater Ridge. She had woken up a few minutes ago from a restless sleep to find Dean driving and Sam asleep on the passenger seat. All was quiet in the car until Sam woke up with a start.

Dean looked at him worriedly, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam replied, touching his forehead to clear the sweat beads there.

"Another nightmare?" Dean asked. Sam cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the question. So, Dean changed the subject, "You wanna drive for a while?"

Lyra looked at Dean, surprised by his offer. As much she knew him, he didn't let anybody drive his car, not even his brother.

"In your whole life you never once asked me that," Sam gave out a small laugh.

"Just thought you might want to. Never mind," Dean said.

"Look man, you're worried about me. I get it, and thank you but I'm perfectly okay," Sam assured Dean. But it did nothing good. Even Lyra could see that he wasn't alright.

"Where are we?" Sam asked.

"We are just outside of Grand Junction," Dean informed.

Sam opened a map and stared at it, thinking about something. "You know what? Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon," he voiced his thoughts.

"Sam, we dug around there for a week; we came up with nothing. If you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica,,," Dean said, glancing at Sam.

"We gotta find dad first," Sam finished.

"Dad disappearing and this thing showing up again after twenty years, it's no coincidence," Dean reasoned. "Dad will have answers; he'll know what to do."

"It's weird man. These coordinates he left us, this Blackwater Ridge," Sam said.

"What about it?" Dean asked.

"There's nothing there, it's just woods," Sam explained. "Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?" he asked more to himself.

They passed a welcome sign to Lost Creek, Colorado and Dean pulled into the visitor's centre. Sam got out first and started towards the building followed by Lyra. But Dean pulled her back.

"What's up with you?" he asked, seriously.

"Nothing," she answered with knitted eyebrows.

"You've been acting weird ever since Sam joined us. Not even talking much. So, don't give me that 'nothing' crap. I know something's up," Dean stared in her eyes.

"You want me to talk? If I remember correctly, whenever I talked, you told me to shut up," Lyra tried to evade the topic.

"Lyra. Please, just tell me," Dean said, desperately.

"Alright, look. You and Sam are brothers and you two make a great team. You have a strong bond with him. The past few days haven't been good for Sam, he's been through a lot. So, I stayed back and let you handle him," Lyra explained.

"Are you telling me that you feel like the third wheel?" Dean asked.

"If you put it that way, then yes," Lyra answered.

"Well then, don't feel like that. Just… be yourself. Talk and joke as you used to," Dean said.

"I don't think Sam would appreciate that. He doesn't know me properly; my friendliness might feel like intrusion to him," Lyra glanced at Sam, who had stopped at the door to wait for them.

"He just need some time to adjust to you," Dean defended his brother.

"I've been giving him just that. I can understand his situation. I've been there before," Lyra said, remembering her parents' death.

It took some seconds for Dean to understand what she was talking about. "Uh, thanks," Dean smiled sympathetically at her.

"Hey! You guys coming or what?" Sam shouted.

"Yeah, coming," Dean shouted back and followed Lyra into the building.

"So, Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote. It's cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place," Sam said, looking at a 3D map.

"Dude, check out the size of this freaking bear," Dean pointed to a picture.

"Over a dozen or more grizzlies in the area," Sam ignored Dean. "It's no nature hike that's for sure."

"You people aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance?" asked a new voice. The trio turned to face the stranger, who happened to be some ranger.

"Oh no sir, we're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper," Sam made up an excuse quickly.

"Recycle, man," Dean smiled.

"Bull," the ranger ridiculed. "You're friends with that Hailey girl right?"

"Yes, yes we are ranger…Wilkinson," Dean said, reading the ranger's nametag.

"Well I will tell you exactly what we told her," the ranger sighed. "Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater till the 24th, so it's not exactly a missing person now is it?" he raised his eyebrows. All the other three nodded in agreement. "You tell that girl to quit worrying, I'm sure her brother's just fine."

"We will. Well that Hailey girl's quit a pistol, huh?" Dean smirked and Lyra rolled her eyes.

"That's putting it mildly," the ranger shook his head.

"Actually you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit you know so she could see her brothers return date," Dean said with a sweet smile and the ranger nodded.

Once they were outside, Sam spoke up, "What are you cruising for a hook-up or something?"

"You know I can't," Dean said sourly, looking at Lyra.

"Knowing you, I'm not too sure. 30 minutes are more than enough for you," Sam made a face.

"Oh yeah. I'm fast," Dean boasted. "Once I-" he was cut off by Lyra.

"Please spare my innocent ears, Dean," she covered her ears for emphasis.

"You are a virgin, aren't you?" Dean smirked.

"What?" she was caught off-guard. "That's none of your business," she exclaimed.

"Oh, it definitely is," Dean was sure that his assumption was indeed correct. Lyra's blush and sudden shyness in her body language gave her away.

"Can we focus?" Sam cut in, saving Lyra from further embarrassment. "The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge so what are we waiting for, let's just go find dad. I mean why even talk to this girl?"

"I dunno maybe we should know what we're walking into before we actually walk into it," Dean shrugged and gave Sam a look.

"What?" Sam threw up his hands in frustration.

"Well since when are you all shoot first ask questions later anyway?" Dean asked.

"Since now," Sam replied after a moment. They all got into the car and drove off to the girl's house.

Dean knocked on the door and a young girl with dark hair opened it. "You must be Hailey Collins. I'm Dean, this is Sam and Lyra. We're rangers with the park service," he introduced. "Ranger Wilkinson sent us over; we wanted to ask you some questions about your brother Tommy."

"Let me see some ID," Haley demanded, scrutinizing them.

"Here ya go," Dean held out his fake ID.

She looked closely at it and then turned to Lyra, "And you?"

"Uh, I'm a trainee," Lyra replied, showing her fake ID.

Haley raised an eyebrow in suspicion but nonetheless opened the door wide, "Come on in." She stepped aside to let them in. "That yours?" she pointed to the Impala.

"Yeah," Dean replied with a smirk.

"Nice car," she said, impressed.

"So if Tommy's not due back for a while, how do you know something's wrong?" Sam asked, giving Dean no chance to flirt with the girl.

"He checks in every day by cell," she replied. "He e-mails photos, stupid little videos…but we haven't heard anything in over three days now," worry was clear in her voice.

"Well maybe he can't get cell reception," Sam shrugged. He didn't want to waste any time there, questioning the family of some missing guy.

"He's got a satellite phone too," she said incredulously.

"Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?" Dean put forward.

"He wouldn't do that," a mid-teenage boy said.

"Yeah. Our parents are gone; it's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other," she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Can I see the pictures he sent you?" Sam requested.

"Sure," she said, opening some file on her laptop. "That's Tommy," she pointed to a man.

Sam played the video and all three watched it attentively. Sam saw something out of the ordinary in the video and glanced at Dean and Lyra.

"Well, we'll find your brother; we're heading out to Blackwater ridge first thing," Dean stated.

"Then maybe I'll see you there," she said. "Look. I can't sit around here anymore, so I hired a guide. I'm heading out in the morning and I'm gonna find Tommy myself," she explained on seeing their disbelieving looks.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Lyra spoke for the first time. "I mean he disappeared, you might disappear too."

"This is about my brother! I don't care what it takes," Haley said, exasperated by the unwanted concern. Lyra held up her hands in a placating manner to calm her down.

"Hey, you mind forwarding these to me?" Sam asked softly to break the tension.

"Sure, no problem," Haley replied.

Once Sam got the videos, they headed to a bar. Sam searched newspapers for anything related to the case. Dean was drinking his beer and staring at hot waitresses. Lyra just looked around at people, being her quiet self.

"So, Blackwater Ridge doesn't get a lot of traffic, local campers mostly," Sam's voice broke the silence. "But still, this past April two hikers went missing out there, they were never found."

"Any before that?" Dean asked, giving him his full attention.

"Yeah In 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year," Sam replied. "Authorities said it was a grizzly attack. And again in 1959 and again before that in 1936. Every 23 years, just like clockwork." He paused to pull out his laptop, "Here's a clincher. I downloaded that guy, Tommy's video to the laptop. Check this out." Sam played the video, frame by frame.

"Do it again," Dean had his eyes focused on the screen.

"That's three frames. That's a fraction of a second," Sam informed. "Whatever that thing is, it can move."

Dean smacked Sam on the back of his head, "Told ya something was going on."

"Yeah," Sam grimaced. "I got one more thing. In '59 one camper survived this supposed grizzly attack. Just a kid. Barely crawled out of the woods alive."

"Is there a name?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Let's go," Sam stood up and gathered his things.

They went to Lonnie Shaw's house and Dean and Sam got out.

"Aren't you coming?" Dean asked Lyra, who hadn't made a move to get out.

"No. You two go, I'll wait here. Come back soon," she waved him off.

"Yeah, we'll be back soon. Don't want a dead chick on my backseat when I return," Dean joked and walked off after Sam.

They returned some minutes later and told Lyra about what Lonnie Shaw said. The creature had claws and knew how to unlock a door.

"Spirits and demons don't have to unlock doors. If they want inside they just go through the walls," Dean mused out loud.

"So it's probably something else, something corporeal," Sam suggested.

"Corporeal?" Dean mocked. "Excuse me professor."

"Shut up! So what do you think?" Sam got back to the point.

"The claws, the speed that it moves, could be a skin walker, maybe a black dog," Dean shrugged. "Whatever we're talking about, we're talking about a creature and it's _corporeal_," Dean mimicked Sam. "Which means we can kill it." Dean opened the trunk and loaded a shotgun, placing it in a duffel bag.

"We cannot let that Hailey girl go out there," Sam stated.

"Oh yeah? What are we gonna tell her? That she can't go into the woods because of a big scary monster?" Dean derided.

"Yeah," Sam said.

"Her brother's missing Sam," Dean said in a 'duh' tone. "She's not just gonna sit this out. Now we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator-friend."

"Finding dad's not enough?" Sam slammed the trunk shut. "Now we gotta babysit too? Isn't Lyra enough to look out for?" Sam sneered.

Lyra took a step back at Sam's rude voice. She didn't expect him to have this opinion of her. She had stayed out of his way the whole time. She wondered what she had done to make Sam behave like this.

"Don't drag her in this," Dean warned in a low voice. "What's the matter with you? She had been nothing but nice and silent for you. And you see her as a burden?" Dean accused. "And who asked you to look after her? She's my responsibility and so you don't need to sweat yourself," he glared at Sam. "Come on, Lyra." He got in the car and waited for them to sit.

No one uttered a single word during their drive to find a motel. Dean was too pissed and disappointed to talk; Sam didn't know how to apologize and Lyra was just brooding over what happened. When Dean went to get a room, Sam tried to muster up the courage to speak but one look at Lyra's upset face made him feel even guiltier.

Dean handed the keys to Lyra when he returned and she went to open the room while Sam and Dean took out their luggage.

"Hey, man. I'm sorry," Sam said, desperate to get his brother's forgiveness.

Dean sighed and closed the trunk after getting the last bag out. "It's not me whom you should apologize to. She should be the one to forgive you," Dean said in a monotone. Sam nodded, looking down.

Dean went to take a shower once they were settled. He wanted to give Sam a chance to talk to Lyra let alone wash away his own tension.

Lyra switched on the TV and pretended to be engrossed in it while actually, she was aware of Sam's every move. He walked around aimlessly at first but then took a deep breath and turned to her.

"Uh, about earlier," he started. Lyra looked up from the TV with a neutral face and nodded for him to go on. "I'm really sorry. I wasn't thinking properly. Dean was right; you've been understanding towards me. I realized now that you didn't try to strike a friendship with me for my sake. I'm so sorry to throw it back in your face like that."

"I know what you are going through. My parents died this April. I was pretty much like you then," Lyra smiled. "I'm not gonna hold this against you."

"Thank you," Sam said sincerely. "Can I ask you something?"

"Why not?" she shrugged.

"How'd you cope with it?"

"My parents had, sort of, prepared me for any sudden death. My mom's life was always hanging on a balance; so she didn't want me take it too hard if anything happened to her. But even with my mindset, it wasn't easy. I was left alone," she gave a small sad smile.

"Oh," Sam couldn't find anything to say.

"But you are lucky Sam," her voice was a little cheery again. "You have Dean and a father somewhere with you. I know, no one can replace Jessica, but you gotta value what you have left," she advised in a wise tone. "Revenge is not something you should live for; instead they should be the reason. Avenge her death but don't let its fire consume you and your family. Being lonely is not good at all. Trust me."

Sam raised an eyebrow at her. He couldn't believe a girl, younger than him, has just lectured him.

"I'm talking from experience," she explained. "But who am I to judge you? Just do what you feel best cause you'll be the one to face the results, not me."

Sam was stunned by her words. He just stood there, staring at her.

"You guys done talking?" Dean asked from the bathroom door.

His words jerked Sam from his stupefied state and he nodded feebly, "Yeah. Did you hear anything?" Sam prayed to get a negative answer. He didn't want Dean to tease him about this.

"Not much," Dean replied. "Why? What happened?"

"Nothing," Sam sighed in relief.

What Sam didn't know was that Dean had heard the little speech Lyra gave Sam on the importance of family. But good for him that Dean decided to drop it.

**A/N: Hey guys! I think I'll divide every episode in two parts from now on. Next update will be in a day or two. I'll do one episode each week, no matter how many parts. Please review. I'm grateful for them. Thanks for reading. See you soon!**


	7. Wendigo 2

The next morning, the trio headed to the visitor's centre to join Haley. She was there with her brother and some old guy.

"I'll tell you again, I don't think Ben should come," the old guy said.

"Roy," Haley seemed to have already argued about this before.

"Look you're paying me good money to keep everybody safe, I think Ben's safest at home," Roy reasoned.

"You guys got room for three more?" Dean asked joining the group.

"Wait. You want to come with us?" Haley was surprised to see them there.

Roy looked at the trio with narrowed eyes, "Who are these guys?"

"Apparently this is all the park service could muster up for search and rescue," she derided.

"You're rangers?" Roy wasn't convinced in the least.

"That's right," Dean smirked.

"And she?" Roy pointed at Lyra.

"I'm a trainee," Lyra snapped. She was fed up of people always suspecting her.

"And you're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?" Haley pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

"Well sweetheart, I don't do shorts," Dean replied cheekily. Lyra rolled her eyes and hit his arm, only to get an annoyed glare in answer.

"What, you think this is funny?" Roy asked. "It's dangerous backcountry out there, her brother might be hurt."

"Believe me; I know how dangerous this could get," Dean said seriously. "We just wanna help her find her brother, that's all."

Roy accepted that and they all started towards Blackwater Ridge. Sam was walking alongside Lyra while Dean was a little ahead of them.

"So, how'd you met Dean?" Sam broke the silence.

Lyra stared at him for a minute, surprised that he had started a conversation. "We met at a bar," she answered.

"But you are underage to be there," Sam stated.

"Yeah, one of my acquaintance worked there and she owed me," Lyra shrugged.

Sam nodded, "And what was Dean doing in Vegas?"

"Never asked him that. It was some case, don't know what though," she replied.

"Do you miss your old life?" he asked after a minute.

"Not much. I was planning on going to a college but never got the chance. Doesn't matter now."

"It was a big change for you," Sam commented. He felt sorry that she had to leave everything behind her, just to stay alive.

"Yes. I had long ago decided that I would never marry, not until I was 35 at least. But life had other plans and it's alright. I like this new life for me," she smiled.

Sam didn't get a chance to ask another question as Dean started talking with Roy.

"Roy, you said you did a little hunting?" he asked.

"Yeah, more than a little," Roy said with pride.

"Uh huh. What kind of furry critters do you hunt?" Dean taunted.

"Mostly buck, sometimes bear," Roy replied, ignoring Dean's tone.

"Tell me…Bambi or Yogi ever hunts you back?" Dean mocked. Roy didn't reply but grabbed Dean's arm to stop him. "Whatcha doing Roy?"

Roy poked the ground where Dean was going to step, with a stick and a bear trap snapped on it. "You should watch where you're stepping… Ranger," he sneered.

"You didn't pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You're not rangers. So who the hell are you?" Haley asked stopping Dean.

Dean looked at Sam and Lyra. Sam raised his eyebrows and walked by. Lyra shrugged but chose to hover around him.

"Sam and I are brothers, and Lyra is…" he paused uncertainly.

"Your wife," Haley motioned to his left hand.

"Uh yeah," Dean said, looking at the ring himself. "Well, we're looking for our father. He might be here, we don't know. I just figured that you and me, we're in the same boat."

"Why didn't you just tell me that from the start?" she raised her eyebrows, glancing at Lyra fleetingly.

"I'm telling you now. Besides it's probably the most honest I've ever been with a woman," Dean said. Haley looked between him and Lyra. "I don't need to lie to her. She's kind of always with me, so she knows everything," he explained further. "So we okay?"

"Yeah, okay," she agreed reluctantly.

"And what do you mean I didn't pack provisions?" Dean said with a goofy grin, pulling out a bag of peanut M&Ms.

After a few more hours of hiking they made it to their destination. "This is it… Blackwater Ridge," Roy declared.

"What coordinates do we have?" Sam asked.

"35-111," Roy answered.

"You hear that?" Dean asked.

"What's there to hear? It's all silent," Lyra said.

"That's the catch. Not even crickets," Sam mused.

"I'm gonna take a look around," Roy stated.

Sam stopped him, "You shouldn't go off by yourself."

"That's sweet…don't worry about me," Roy waved him off and stalked ahead.

"All right, everybody stays together. Let's go," Dean commanded.

"Haley over here," Roy called. They all followed his voice to a ruined campsite. "Looks like a grizzly," he remarked.

"Tommy? Tommy!" Haley shouted but Sam shushed her. "Why?" she yelled at him.

"Something might still be out there," he told her.

"Sam!" Dean called from a distance away. Lyra was already with him. "The bodies were dragged from the campsite. But here the tracks just vanish. That's weird. I'll tell you what…that's no skin walker or black dog."

They walked back to join the others where they saw Haley crying and so Dean went to assure her, "Hey, he could still be alive."

"HELP! HELP!" a voice shouted. All of them rushed after it but couldn't find anyone.

"It seemed like it was coming from around here, didn't it?" Haley voiced her thoughts.

"Everyone back to camp," Sam said urgently. They run back to the camp to find that all of their bags have gone.

"Our packs," Haley cried.

"So much for my GPS and my satellite phone," Roy muttered, picking up the pieces of his smashed gadgets.

"What the hell is going on?" Haley asked with fear lacing her voice.

"It's smart. It wants to cut us off so we can't call for help," Sam said.

"You mean someone; some nut job out there just stole all our gear?" Roy questioned.

"I need to speak to you; in private," Sam looked at Dean and Lyra. They gathered a little away. "Let me see dad's journal," Sam extended his hand towards Dean. "Check this out," he opened a particular page and showed it to them.

"Oh come on, Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or northern Michigan. I've never even heard of one this far west," Dean complained.

"Think about it Dean, the claws, the way it can mimic a human voice," Sam reasoned.

"Great," Dean said taking out his gun. "Well then, this is useless."

"We gotta get these people back to safety," Sam handed the journal to Dean and walked back. "All right, listen up. Time to go, things have gotten more complicated."

"What?" Haley asked.

"Kid, don't worry. Whatever's out there, I can handle it," Roy assured.

"It's not me I'm worried about; if you shoot this thing you're just gonna make it mad. We have to leave now," Sam said.

Roy confronted him, "One you're talking nonsense; two you're in no position to give anybody orders."

"Relax," Dean tried to calm them down.

"We never should have let you come out here in the first place, alright? I'm trying to protect you," Sam had lost all his patience.

"You protect me? I was hunting these woods when your mommy was still kissing you goodnight," Roy shot back.

"Yeah? It's a damn near perfect hunter. It's smarter than you, and it's gonna hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid sorry ass out of here," Sam scoffed.

"You know you're crazy right?" Roy laughed at them.

Sam gave out a bitter laugh, "Yeah? You ever hunt a wen-" Roy cut him off by pushing him.

"Roy!" Haley yelled.

"Chill out," Dean said, pulling Sam and Roy apart. Lyra moved to Sam's side and placed a hand on his arm. Sam looked at her and smiled apologetically.

"Stop; stop it, everybody just stop. Look, Tommy might still be alive, and I'm not leaving here without him," Haley said.

"It's getting late. This thing is a good hunter in the day, but an unbelievable hunter at night. We'll never beat it, not in the dark. We need to settle in and protect ourselves," Dean took charge of the situation.

They built a fire and started drawing protection symbols around the small area. "One more time, that's…?" Haley asked.

"Anasazi symbols. It's for protection. The Wendigo can't cross over them," Dean explained to her. Roy laughed at him and so Dean snapped, "Nobody likes a skeptic Roy."

When Dean was finished he went to talk to Sam, "You wanna tell me what is going on in that freaky head of yours?"

"Dean, I'm fine," Sam replied. Lyra saw the two of them and decided to join them.

"No you're not fine; you're like a powder keg man, it's not like you. I'm supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?" Dean prodded.

"Dad's not here. I mean that much we know for sure, right? He would have left us a message, a sign, right?" Sam spoke out his thoughts.

"Yeah you're probably right. I don't think dad's ever been to Lost Creek," Dean said.

"Then let's get these people back to town and let's hit the road, go find dad. I mean why are we still in here?" Sam asked.

"This is why" Dean held up John's journal. "…This book. This is dad's single most valuable possession. Everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he's passed it on to us, I think he wants us to pick up where he left off, you know saving people, hunting things. The family business."

"That makes no sense. Why doesn't he just call us? Why doesn't he tell us what he wants; tell us where he is?" Sam was getting agitated.

"I dunno. But the way I see it, dad's giving us a job to do and I intend to do it," Dean stated.

"Dean, no. I gotta find dad. I gotta find Jessica's killer. It's the only thing I can think about," Sam said and looked at Lyra, remembering her words from last night.

"Remember what I told you Sam," she said gently.

"Yeah. It's just…" he trailed off.

"Difficult?" Lyra supplied and he nodded. "Well it _is_ for everyone. You gotta move on and embrace life as it is. Value what you have, not what you've already lost." Dean gawked at her after her little wise words.

"I know," Sam sighed. "How do you do it? How does dad do it?" he directed his question at Dean.

"Well for one… them," Dean motioned to Haley and her brother. "I mean I figure our family's so screwed to hell; maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little more bearable. I'll tell you what else helps; killing as many sons of bitches as I possibly can."

Their talk was interrupted when they heard a shout for help. It was the Wendigo.

"He's trying to draw us out. Just stay cool, stay put," Dean ordered everyone. The Wendigo shouted again and again.

"Ok, that's no grizzly," Roy said, realizing the actual danger.

"It's okay. You'll be all right. I promise," Haley assured her brother.

"It's here," Sam said as his eyes swept the surrounding area.

Roy took a shot in the direction of the voice, "I hit it!" He sprinted forward after it.

"Roy, no! Roy!" Dean yelled. "Don't move," he instructed Lyra, Haley, and Ben. He and Sam followed Roy into the woods but returned without him.

They all waited for the sun to rise inside their protective circle. No one was going to sleep, that was for sure.

"I heard what you told Sam last night," Dean said to Lyra. They were sitting side by side on a rock.

"About what?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"About the whole family comes first thing," he replied.

She sighed, "Dean, for once can you not pull my leg on this?"

"I wasn't going to tease you about it," he defended himself. "I wanted to say that I'm impressed."

"Now _this_ is the height of sarcasm," she rolled her eyes.

"Come on. I'm trying to be appreciative here," he said, annoyed.

"Well, in that case, thank you."

"But I like the 'fun you' better. All that wisdom doesn't suit your age."

"Are you jealous?" she asked with amusement.

"Why would I be jealous of you?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"Because I have mind, for one thing," she chuckled.

"Whatever," Dean shrugged and joined her laughter after a moment.

Morning finally came and they prepared themselves to face the Wendigo. Dean had just finished explaining the supernatural world to Haley and Ben.

"I don't…I mean these types of things they aren't supposed to be real," Haley shook her head.

"I wish I could tell you different," Dean sighed.

"How do we know it's not out there watching us?" she asked looking around.

"We don't. But we're safe for now," he assured.

"How do you know about this stuff?" she asked after a moment.

"Kind of runs in the family," he replied.

"Imagine my shock when I found out that the person I just married is a hunter of the supernatural," Lyra butted in.

"How'd you two end up married, anyway?" Haley asked curiously.

"Long story short, it was a drunken mistake and now we are bound to stay together," Lyra shrugged.

"Hey. So we've got half a chance in the daylight. And I, for one, want to kill this evil son of a bitch," Sam declared, standing up.

"Well hell, you know I'm in," Dean smirked.

"Wait, they need to know what a Wendigo is," Lyra said pointing towards Haley and Ben.

"Wendigo is an Indian word. It means evil that devours," Sam started.

"They're hundreds of years old," Dean continued. "Each one was once a man. Sometimes an Indian, other times a frontiersman or a miner or a hunter."

"How does a man turn into one of those things?" Haley asked with a disgusted face.

"Well it's always the same," Dean explained. "During some harsh winter a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies or help. Becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp."

"Like the Donnor Party," Ben added.

Sam nodded at him, "Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities."

"Speed, strength, immortality," Dean listed off. "If you eat enough of it, over years, you become this less than human thing. You're always hungry."

"So if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?" Haley asked.

"You're not gonna like it," Dean hesitated.

"Tell me," she demanded.

"More than anything, a Wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time, but when it's awake it keeps its victims alive. It uh, stores them, so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother's alive it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe. We gotta track it back there."

"And then how do we stop it?" she asked with a frightened expression.

"Well guns are useless so are knives, basically…" Dean pulled out his lighter fluid. "We gotta torch the sucker."

They hike into the woods, following trails of blood and claw marks left by the Wendigo. "Hey, Dean! Lyra!" Sam calls them.

"What is it?" Dean asked going over to him.

"You know…I was thinking…those claw prints…so clear and distinct, they were almost too easy to follow," he said thoughtfully.

"Could it be-" Lyra was cut off by a growl from the Wendigo. They look up to see a blurred figure moving and then Haley screamed. They turned to see Roy's body fall to the ground.

"You okay?" Sam asked Haley and she nodded. Dean checked the body to find his neck was broken. "Okay. Run! Go, go!" Sam ushered Haley and Ben forward.

They ran at top speed but then Ben tripped and Lyra and Sam went to help him. They heard Haley's scream again and rushed to help but it was too late. Dean and Haley were gone.

"Oh no," Lyra moaned. Dean disappearing meant she had only 30 minutes to find him or else she'd be dead.

"We'll find him," Sam assured her. He shook her shoulders to get her attention, "Nothing will happen to you. Alright?"

She looked up at him with a tearful gaze and nodded, wiping her tears away. They wasted no more time and started looking for any kind of sign that would lead them to Dean and Haley.

Lyra's senses were on high alert but she couldn't find a damn clue and as the seconds passed, desperation grew inside her.

"Hey, Sam, Lyra look," Ben called. There was a trail of peanut M&Ms which definitely Dean had made.

"Oh man, you smartass," Lyra smiled and shook her head.

Lyra was running out of time and so her adrenaline supply was in overdrive which helped her run faster. She kept repeating in her head that everything will be fine but still couldn't bring herself to believe it. They ran all the way up to the end of the trail and then paused to decide where to go. But luck was on their side as they saw an opening to a mine a little far from there position.

"Sam, I've got only 3 minutes," Lyra said desperately.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sam took a hold of her hand and raced into the mine. They moved quietly once they were inside because they could hear the Wendigo growling somewhere. They hide just in time for the Wendigo to pass them and go outside.

"Sam!" Lyra whispered with a scared expression. "1 minute."

"Come on," he said and pushed her forward.

Lyra's tears were flowing freely now. Whatever hope she had was long gone. Her time was up and they hadn't found Dean yet. She now just prayed for others' safety.

Somewhere inside the mine, Dean opened his eyes to find that he was hanging from the ceiling. He moaned in pain but a horrifying thought suddenly struck him.

"Lyra!" he gasped out. He didn't know how much time had passed since he was taken by the Wendigo but he needed to get back to Lyra. He struggled against the restraints but all he did was damage his wrists.

"Son of a bitch," he exclaimed. One of the rarest things happened; fear gripped Dean. He had never been this scared in his life. Lyra was going to die or was already dead and it was all because of him.

He suddenly heard a loud thud and looked ahead. It was Sam, Ben, and Lyra. They had fallen from somewhere above. Relief filled him when he saw Lyra but it was short lived. Sam was holding her and she seemed to be almost dead.

"Come on Lyra. Hold on! We're almost there," Sam too was scared.

"Sam?" Dean looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Dean? Oh thank God. Here," Sam handed a knife to Ben. "Go."

Ben didn't needed to be told twice, he quickly cut Dean loose and then moved on to his sister. Dean rushed to Sam and Lyra.

"What happened?" Dean asked taking Lyra in his own arms.

"She just started choking; it was as if she was drowning just not under water," Sam explained but Dean wasn't actually listening. He had started giving her chest compressions, forcing the water out.

"Come on, kitten," he mumbled. He blocked her nose and blew air in her mouth a couple times but she wasn't responding. "You can't die on me," he said and compressed her chest a few more times.

Lyra drew in a sharp breath and coughed out the water which had filled in her lungs because of the apparent drowning.

"Finally," Dean sighed and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry," he said, kissing her forehead.

"I'm not dead, am I?" Lyra asked blearily.

"No, of course not," Dean smiled at her.

"We should get out," Sam drew their attention to Haley and her brothers. One of whom, Tommy, was severely injured but alive.

"Yeah," Dean stood up and helped Lyra to her feet.

After making sure that everyone was alright, they went to find something that could kill the Wendigo.

"Check this out," Dean said, holding a flare gun.

"Flare guns… those'll work," Sam approved.

All of them started to head out of the mine but not long after, they heard growling around them.

"Looks like someone's home for supper," Dean joked.

"We'll never outrun it," Haley pointed out bleakly.

"You think what I'm thinking?" Dean asked Sam.

"Yeah think so," he replied.

"I'm coming with you," Lyra interjected. She wasn't going to let Dean out of her sight anytime soon.

"I know. I wasn't leaving you either," Dean said, smiling slightly. "All right listen to me. Stay with Sam, he's gonna get you out of here," he instructed Haley and Ben.

"What are you gonna do?" Haley asked with concern. Dean just winked at her and turned to walk down the way they had come with Lyra by his side.

"Chow time you freaky bastard! Yeah that's right, bring it on baby, I'm feeling good!" Dean shouted to get the Wendigo's attention.

"Hey! Hey you want some white meat bitch! I'm right here!" he shouted again. Lyra was freaking out by his side. "It's gonna be alright," he whispered to her. She looked at him and nodded.

A few seconds later they heard gunfire and turned to go help Sam. They found him and the others at the end of the tunnel. The Wendigo had their way blocked.

"Hey!" Dean yelled and shot the Wendigo from behind. It immediately burst into flames and died with a shriek. "Not bad huh?"

They all got out safely and called 911. The paramedics and police arrived at the scene shortly afterwards.

"And the bear came back again after you yelled at it?" A police officer questioned Ben.

"That's when it circled the campsite; I mean this grizzly must have weighed 800-900 pounds," Ben lied as he was told to.

"All right we'll go after it first thing," the officer informed him.

"So I don't know how to thank you," Haley said to Dean. He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Must you cheapen the moment?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered.

"You've got a wife," she reminded him.

"That I have," Dean looked over, where a paramedic was checking Lyra. He had insisted to get an assurance that she was fine.

"I hope you find your father," Haley said and stared at him for a moment, contemplating whether to kiss him or not. She settled for a kiss on his cheek.

Dean walked over to Lyra, "Everything fine?"

"Yes. Her vitals are good, though there's still some water left in her lungs. But don't worry it will disappear on its own," the paramedic informed him and left.

"If you ever leave me like that again, I'll kill you," Lyra threatened.

"How will you kill me when you'd be dead yourself?" Dean smirked.

"That's the point. As a ghost I'll have the upper hand," she smiled and went to the impala.

"Hey dude, I'm driving," Sam told Dean and got in the driver's seat. Dean muttered something and got in the car.

"Hey Sam?" Lyra spoke up from the backseat.

"Yeah," he said.

"Can you tune the radio to something other than Dean's music?" she asked sweetly.

"Sure," Sam smirked and changed the radio channel to modern music.

"What? Are you two going to torture me with this crap?" Dean exclaimed.

"House rules Dean," Lyra started

"Driver picks the music and shotgun shuts his cakehole," Sam finished. They both laughed at Dean's scowling face and Dean just huffed.

**A/N: Sorry if this was a little late than promised. Tell me how you liked it. And I'm confused about which episode to take next- Dead in the water or Bloody Mary. I'll skip Phantom traveler but if you want I'll do it. Whatever it is, just tell me. Again, thanks for the lovely reviews. See you next week.**


	8. Dead in the Water 1

**A/N: A huge sorry that I broke my promise. Circumstances weren't favorable for me to write. But, I'm here again. Jo-Ann, you requested Dead in the water, so here it is. Next part will be in a day or two. Thanks for your reviews, favs, and follows.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural but Lyra is definitely my creation.**

The trio was sitting in a diner, looking for a new hunt. For the past few days Lyra had been mulling over her life. How it had taken such sharp turn and changed dramatically. A couple months back, all she could think about her future was which college to apply to. But then the sudden death of her parents and her marriage to Dean made her realize that nothing is certain in this world. She didn't believe in destiny but what she had witnessed in her life so far, forced her to think again. She had her own theory about destiny: when you think that you have changed what was written for you then you are making a fool out of yourself because actually that particular change was meant to happen all along. Free will was just an illusion to her but it didn't bother her. She liked her life to flow without her control over it; because that way she didn't have to worry about the end result.

"Hello… back to earth, Lyra," Dean waved a hand in front of her face.

"What?" Lyra shook her head to focus on him.

"Where were you? I called you so many times," he raised an eyebrow.

"Nowhere. Just thinking," she replied, turning her eyes away from him.

"Alright, take a look at this," Dean said, placing a newspaper at the table. "Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week Sophie Carlton, 18, walks into the lake, doesn't walk out. Authorities dragged the water—nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days ago."

"A funeral?" Sam asked, taking the newspaper in his hand.

"They buried an empty coffin. For uh, a closure or whatever," Dean shrugged.

"Closure?" Sam sneered. "What closure? People don't just disappear, Dean. Other people just stop looking for them."

"Something you want to say to me?" Dean shot him a scornful look.

"The trail for dad – it's getting colder every day," Sam responded in the same tone.

"Exactly, so what are we supposed to do?" Dean tried to keep his calm.

"I don't know," Sam threw up his hands. "Something. Anything!"

"You know what?" Dean's voice dropped. "I'm sick of this attitude. You don't think I want to find dad as much as you?"

"Yeah, I know you do, it's just—" Sam tried to explain but Dean cut him off.

"I'm the one that's been with him every single day for the past four years, while you've been off to college going to pep rallies," Dean said in an accusing tone. "We will find dad, but until then, we're gonna kill everything bad between here and there."

"Alright, Lake Manitoc," Sam conceded.

"Can you two survive just one day without arguing?" Lyra said, exasperated.

"Blame the grumpy boy over there," Dean pointed at Sam.

"You are not any less yourself," she turned to Dean.

"I just try to knock some sense in him. That doesn't count as arguing," he defended himself. "Now, we gotta get moving."

They went to question Will Carlton, brother of Sophie Carlton, who was present at the lakeside when she drowned. Dean knocked on the door and a man of his age opened it. "Will Carlton?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's right," the man replied.

"Agent Ford, Agent Hamlin and our trainee Stevens," Dean introduced with a motion of his hand. "We are with US Wildlife Services. We need you to tell us everything you know about what happened."

"Come on, I'll take you to the lake," Will said, leading them ahead. There was an old man sitting on a bench at the dock who was most probably his father. "She was about 100 yards out. That's when she got dragged down."

"Are you sure she didn't just drown?" Dean asked for confirmation.

"Yeah. She was a varsity swimmer," he had a twinkle in his eyes which Lyra didn't miss. She made a mental note to express her condolences later. "She practically grew up in that lake. She was as safe out there as she was in her own bathtub."

"So, no splashing? No signs of distress?" Sam asked.

"No. That's what I'm telling you," he shook his head.

"Did you see any shadows in the water? Maybe some dark shapes breach the surface?" Sam questioned again.

"No. Again, she was really far out there," Will answered.

"You ever see any strange tracks by the shoreline?" Dean carried on the interrogation.

"No, never. Why? What do you think is out there?" he queried back.

"We'll let you know as soon as we do," Dean replied with a nod.

"What about your father? Can we talk to him?" Sam asked.

Will looked over at his dad, "Look, if you don't mind, I mean…he didn't see anything and he's kind of been through a lot."

"We understand," Lyra smiled sympathetically at him. "We're sorry for your loss." Will nodded in return and they went back to their respective businesses.

The trio decided to head to the Sheriff's office to gather more info. He led them to his cabin and offered a seat.

"Now, I'm sorry, but why does the Wildlife Service care about an accidental drowning?" he asked suspiciously but with a hint of curiosity.

"You sure it's accidental?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "Will Carlton saw something grab his sister."

"Like what? There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake. There's nothing even big enough to pull down a person, unless it was the Loch Ness monster," the Sheriff said.

"Yeah, right." Dean chuckled.

"Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks. Still, we dragged that entire lake. We even ran a sonar sweep just to be sure, and there was nothing down there," the Sheriff explained further.

"That's weird though. I mean that's…that's the third missing body this year," Dean pulled a confused expression on his face.

"I know. These are people from my town. These are people I care about," he stated seriously. "Anyway. All this, it won't be a problem much longer."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Well the dam of course," he looked at them dubiously.

"Of course… the dam. It's uh… sprung a leak," Dean quickly covered up.

"It's falling apart," the Sheriff's tone was incredulous. "And the feds won't give us the grant to repair it, so they've opened the spillway. In another six months there won't be much of a lake. There won't be much of a town either. But as Federal Wildlife, you already knew that."

Dean nodded enthusiastically, "exactly."

There was a knock on the door followed by a feminine voice, "Sorry. Am I interrupting? I can come back later."

"Agents, this is my daughter," the Sheriff gestured to the woman.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Dean stood up and extended his hand. "I'm Dean."

"Andrea Bar," she smiled. "Hi."

"Hi," the three of them replied in almost unison.

"They're from the wildlife about the lake," the sheriff told her. Andrea nodded and a little boy around 7 walked in.

"Oh hey there. What's your name?" Dean asked him sweetly but the boy shied away.

"His name is Lucas," the sheriff supplied.

"Is he okay?" Sam noticed the sorrow mixed with fear on the kid's face.

"My grandson's been through a lot. We all have. Well if there's anything else I can do for you, please let me know."

"Thanks. You know, now that you mentioned it, could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced hotel?" Dean asked, heading to the door.

"Lakefront motel, go around the corner, it's about two blocks south," Andrea gave out the direction.

"Two? Would you mind showing us?" Dean smiled innocently.

"You want me to walk you two blocks?" she laughed, not missing his flirty tone.

"I'm sure we can find it on our own. Thanks for your help," Lyra spoke for the first time. "Come on, Dean," she grabbed his hand and tugged.

"I'm headed that way, anyway. It won't be a problem," Andrea said, amused. "I'll be back to pick up Lucas at three. We'll go to the park, okay sweetie?" She bent down and kissed him on the forehead.

They all followed her out and Dean started talking to Andrea, "So… cute kid."

"Thanks," she smiled and looked at Lyra from the corner of her eye, wondering why she wasn't stopping his advances. She knew they were married. Anyone could tell that much by their matching rings.

"Kids are the best, huh?" Dean smirked.

"You like kids?" Lyra butted in, moving forward to match their steps. "You never told me," she acted as if she was hurt by that. "Well, if kids are the best then we should plan for a baby soon," she smiled lovingly, taking a hold of his arm and placing her head on his shoulder. "What do you think, honey?"

Dean scowled at her but the other two found it amusing. Sam was having a hard time controlling his laughter.

"There it is. Like I said, two blocks," Andrea pointed to the motel.

"Thanks," Lyra replied curtly.

"Must be hard with your sense of direction," Andrea turned to Dean. "Never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line," she smirked. "I wonder how he got you," she looked at Lyra curiously.

"Maybe luck decided to shine on him that day," Lyra shrugged.

Andrea chuckled and waved a good bye. "Enjoy your stay," she said over her shoulder.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Sam burst out laughing. "Oh God," he gasped for breath. "You should look at your face," he pointed at Dean. "Man, why don't I have a camera right now?"

Dean looked at his brother and smiled slightly. He had missed his laughter. After Jessica's death, Sam was nothing but devastated. He even smiled very rarely and so, seeing him laugh like that made Dean grateful to Lyra. It was because of her that he was enjoying his life again.

"And 'kids are the best'? You don't even like kids," Sam said after his laughter was under control.

"I love kids," Dean argued.

"Name 3 children that you even know," Sam challenged. Dean concentrated hard but Sam didn't wait for him and walked ahead.

"I'm thinking!" Dean exclaimed.

"Don't exhaust your meager brain, Dean," Lyra taunted and followed Sam.

"Hey wait!" Dean called her.

"What?"

"Uh… thanks for making Sammy laugh," he said, looking at Sam's back to avoid eye contact with her.

"I didn't knew he was gonna laugh on that but I'm glad he did. He need to lighten up and you too," she smiled at the brothers.

"So, three drowning victims this year," Sam remarked. He was researching about the case on his laptop.

"Any before that?" Dean asked.

"Uh yeah…six more spread out over the past 35 years," Sam replied. "Those bodies were never recovered either. If there is something out there, it's picking up its pace."

"So what, we got a lake monster on a binge?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"This whole lake monster thing- it, it just bugs me," Sam said.

"Why?"

"Loch Ness, uh Lake Champlain- there are literally hundreds of eyewitness accounts, but here, almost nothing," he explained. "Whatever it is out there, no one's living to talk about it."

Dean read over Sam's shoulder, "Bar… Christopher Bar. Where have I heard this name before?"

"Do you really have such poor memory?" Lyra mocked him. "Andrea Bar! You dumbass," she rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah. Christopher Bar, the victim in May," Sam said. "Apparently he took Lucas out swimming. Lucas was on a floating wooden platform when Chris drowned, two hours before the kid got rescued. Maybe we have an eyewitness after all."

"No wonder that kid was so freaked out. Watching one of your parents die isn't something you just get over," Dean stated with a hidden emotion. He was present in the house when his mother had died and that affected him greatly.

"What do you say we join Andrea and Lucas at the park?" Dean asked.

"You'll never learn," Lyra shook her head.

"What? I want to talk to Lucas regarding the case," he explained. Lyra and Sam shared a look and rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"You two go. I'll drive around town and see what I can find," Sam excused himself. Dean nodded and walked out with Lyra on his heels.

"Can we join you?" Lyra asked Andrea, who was sitting on a bench watching Lucas who was drawing a little far.

"I'm here with my son," she replied.

"Uh… mind if I say hi?" Dean asked her.

"No, go ahead," she said. Dean went to talk to the boy while Lyra took a seat beside Andrea.

"You two are perfectly matched," Andrea commented.

Lyra laughed wryly, "Believe me we're anything but perfectly matched."

"You know, me and Chris… we were like you two. The Sun and the Moon: opposite but complementary," she said with a far away look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for you," Lyra said sincerely.

She waved her off, "It's alright. I have Lucas as a memento of him. Anyway, Dean seems a nice guy. If you overlook his cockiness, that is."

Lyra chuckled a bit, "Yeah. He's good at heart. And I think that's what matters the most." She looked over at Dean and a small smile played on her lips.

Andrea turned to face her, "He'll accept it soon. Don't worry."

Lyra was confused at what she wanted to say. 'What will he accept?' she thought. Before she could ask her what she meant, Dean returned.

"Lucas hasn't said a word, not even to me - not since his dad's accident," Andrea told them.

"Yeah… sorry," Dean said.

"What are the doctors saying?" Lyra asked.

"That it's a kind of post-traumatic stress," she answered sadly.

"That can't be easy, for either of you."

"We moved in with my dad. He helps out a lot. It's just…when I think about what Lucas went through, what he saw…" she trailed off.

"Kids are strong," Dean spoke up. "You'd be surprised what they can deal with." Lyra tried to read his face to find the reason behind his words and found a deep situated pain which shaped the man he was now.

"You know, he used to have such life. He was hard to keep up with, to tell you the truth. Now he just sits there; drawing those pictures, playing with those army men. I just wish…" Andrea paused when Lucas walked up to them. "Hey sweetheart."

Lucas handed a picture, which he had drawn, to Dean. "Thanks Lucas," Dean smiled at him and he went back.

They headed back to their room and Sam joined them shortly after. "So, I think it's safe to say we can rule out Nessie," Sam said as he entered the room.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"I just drove past the Carlton house. There was an ambulance there," he replied. "Will Carlton is dead."

"He drowned?"

"Yep, in the sink," Sam confirmed. This revelation brought back memories to Lyra which she didn't want to confront again. Her mother had died somewhat the same way.

"What the hell?" Dean exclaimed. "So you're right, this isn't a creature; we're dealing with something else."

"Yeah, but what?" Sam said.

"I don't know. A water wraith maybe? Some kind of demon?" Dean took a guess. "I mean something that controls water…water that comes from the same source."

"The lake," Sam agreed. "This would explain why it's upping the body count. The lake is draining. It'll be dry in a few months. Whatever this thing is, whatever it wants, it's running out of time."

"And if it can get through the pipes, it can get to anyone, almost anywhere," Dean pointed out. "This is gonna happen again soon."

"And we do know one other thing for sure. We know this has got something to do with Bill Carlton," Sam stated.

"Yeah, it took both his kids," Dean nodded.

"And I've been asking around. Lucas' dad, Chris - Bill Carlton's godson," Sam informed.

"I say, let's go pay Mr. Carlton a visit," Dean suggested.

They went to the lake and found him sitting on the same bench as before. Sam moved a little closer to him, "Mr. Carlton…we'd like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind."

"We're from the Department…" Dean started but Bill cut him off.

"I don't care who you're with. I've answered enough questions today," he said shortly.

"Your son said he saw something in that lake," Sam prodded. "What about you? You ever see anything out there?" Bill didn't reply. "Mr. Carlton, Sophie's drowning and Will's death—we think there might be a connection to you or your family."

"My children are gone. It's…its worse than dying. Go away…please," Bill pleaded in a sorrowful tone.

They left the pitiable man alone and got back in their car. "So what do you think?" Sam asked.

"I think the poor guys been through hell," Dean replied. "But I also think he's not telling us something." He glanced at the Carlton house and knitted his eyebrows in thought.

"What is it?" Sam looked between the house and Dean.

"Huh," Dean looked up at him. "Maybe Bill's not the only one who knows something." He pulled out the drawing Lucas had given him. It was of the Carlton house. "We gotta meet him again."


	9. Dead in the Water 2

They went to Andrea's house to talk to Lucas again. Dean knocked on the door and Andrea opened it. "Hey! Sorry to bother you but can we talk to Lucas?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea," Andrea replied a little hesitantly.

"We just need to talk to him, just for a few minutes," he insisted.

"He won't say anything. What good's it gonna do?" she asked.

"Andrea, we think more people might get hurt," Sam reasoned. "We think something's happening out there."

"My husband, the others—they just drowned, that's all," she tried to convince herself more than them.

"If that's what you really believe then we'll go," Dean stated. "But if you think there's even a possibility that something else could be going on here, please let me talk to your son."

She reflected for a moment then allowed them to come in. Dean went to the back where Lucas was playing. "Hey Lucas," he started. "You remember me? You know, I, uh…I wanted to thank you for that last drawing…but the thing is, I need your help again." Lucas remained silent and kept drawing.

"How did you know to draw this?" Dean asked him. "Did you know something bad was gonna happen? Maybe you could nod yes or no for me," he said. "You're scared. Its okay, I understand. See, when I was your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom, and I was scared, too. I didn't feel like talking, just like you. But see, my mom-I know she wanted me to be brave. I think about that every day. And I do my best to be brave. I have to, to take care of Sam here. And maybe…your dad wants you to be brave, too." Lucas stopped and handed Dean what he had drawn. "Thanks, Lucas," he said.

While Dean was talking to Lucas, Lyra was standing with Andrea. "You think Chris' death was not normal?" Andrea asked her.

"Honestly, yes," Lyra replied. "Four people drowned in that lake in such short duration. Don't you feel there's more to it than meets the eye?"

"Even if I feel that way, there's no explanation for it," Andrea said.

"Everything in this world can be explained. Only we don't know the reasons behind some of them," Lyra offered with a smile.

"What could be the reason here?" she asked desperately.

"You'll know soon," Lyra squeezed her shoulder.

"What does it have to do with my son?"

"He might know something that'll help us to solve this mystery," Lyra answered.

"Is there a hidden reason for his condition too?" Andrea looked at Lucas worriedly.

"Maybe. But he'll be fine. Don't worry," Lyra assured.

They left Andrea's place and went in search of the house that Lucas had drawn. It was a white two story church and a yellow house with a red bike parked in the front. "Andrea said the kid never drew like that till his dad died," Dean remarked.

"There are cases going through a traumatic experience could make people more sensitive to premonitions, psychic tendencies," Sam shrugged.

"Whatever's out there, what if Lucas is tapping into it somehow?" Dean argued. "I mean it's only a matter of time before somebody else drowns. If you got a better lead, please."

"Alright…" Sam sighed. "We got a house to find."

"The only problem is there're about a thousand yellow two-stories in this county alone," Dean complained.

"See this church?" Sam held up the drawing. "I bet there are less than a thousand of those around here."

"Oh, college boy thinks he's so smart," Dean taunted.

"You know, um…what you said about mom…" Sam hesitated. "You never told me that before."

"It's no big deal…" Dean shook his head. "Oh God, we're not gonna have to hug or anything, are we?" he made a face at Sam who chose to ignore him. He looked back at Lyra, "Hey, Lyra you alright?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine." Lyra was zoned out so his question startled her.

"You're getting lost in la-la land more often. Should I be worried?" Dean asked in a serious tone.

"If I say no, would you stop fussing over me?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I'm just checking if I need to book a ward in a mental hospital or not," he smirked at her.

"You do realize that you'd need to book two wards, one for her, and one for you; if she ever gets crazy?" Sam said amusedly.

"Then let's just pray she keeps her sanity intact," Dean said in response.

"Which is nearly impossible while living with you. Even crazies will go crazy again if you're around them for too long," Lyra joked.

"Dean, stop the car," Sam ordered suddenly. They have finally found the house they were searching for.

An old lady answered the door. "Hey," Dean smiled. "Can we have a word?"

"Sure," she invited them in without hesitation.

"We're sorry to bother you ma'am, but does a little boy live here, by chance?" Dean asked. "He might wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle."

"No sir," she said. "Not for a very long time. Peter's been gone for 35 years now. The police never—I never had any idea what happened. He just disappeared. Losing him—"she paused. "You know, it's…its worse than dying."

"Did he disappear from here—I mean, from this house?" Dean asked.

"He was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up," the lady explained.

Dean nodded and took a look at a photograph. "Thank you for your time," he said to the woman and went outside with Sam and Lyra following behind.

"Okay this little boy, Peter Sweeney, vanishes, and this is all connected to Bill Carlton somehow?" Sam clarified.

"Yeah, Bill sure as hell seems to be hiding something, huh?" Dean said.

"And Bill-the people he loves-are all getting punished," Sam stated.

"So what if Bill did something to Peter?" Dean put forward.

"What if Bill killed him?" Sam guessed.

"Then Peter's spirit would be furious. It'd want revenge," Dean concluded. "It's possible."

They got to the Carlton's house and looked around for Bill. "Mister Carlton!" Sam shouted.

"Hey, check it out," Dean pointed to the lake where Bill was heading into deep waters on his boat.

"Mr. Carlton! You need to come back!" Dean called.

"Come out of the water!" Sam tried.

"Turn the boat around!" Dean shouted again.

The boat slowed a little but then overturned and Mr. Carlton was dragged down into the water. The three of them stood on the dock silently and could hear sirens in the distance.

"Sam, Dean, Lyra, I didn't expect to see you here," Andrea said once they reached the police station with the sheriff.

"So now you're on a first-name basis," Mr. Bar, the sheriff, remarked. "What are you doing here?" he asked his daughter.

"I brought you dinner," she replied, holding up a bag.

"I'm sorry sweetheart; I don't really have the time," Mr. Bar apologized.

"I heard about Bill Carlton, is it true?" she asked. "Is something going on with the lake?"

"Right now we don't know what the truth is," Mr. Bar shot a look at the three. "But I think it might be better if you and Lucas went on home."

Lucas suddenly grabbed Dean's arm. "Lucas, hey, what is it?" he asked, knelling down. "Lucas, it's okay. It's okay," Dean tried to assure him. Lucas let him go and went with his mother.

"Okay, just so I'm clear, you see… something attack Bill's boat, sending Bill, who is a very good swimmer, by the way, into the drink, and you never see him again?" Mr. Bar asked them.

"Yeah, that about sums it up," Dean nodded.

"And I'm supposed to believe this, even though I've already sonar-swept that entire lake, and what you're describing is impossible, and you're not really Wildlife Service?" he quirked an eyebrow at them. The three of them looked at him, surprised. "That's right, I checked. The department's never heard of you three," he said.

"See, now we can explain that," Dean offered.

"Enough please," the sheriff put up his hand. "The only reason you're breathing free air, is one of Bill's neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did. So we have a couple of options here. I can arrest you for impersonating government officials and hold you as material witnesses to Bill Carlton's disappearance. Or we can chalk this all up to a bad day, you get into your car, you put this town in your rearview mirror, and you don't ever darken my doorstep again."

"Your door's already dark with that ghost," Lyra muttered.

"Door number two sounds good," Sam said.

"That's the one I'd pick," the sheriff remarked, opening the door for them.

They left the town and headed to the highway. They stopped at a light; everyone was silent until Sam hit Dean on the head.

"What?" Dean asked irritated.

"Light's green," Sam said. Dean sighed and instead of going right, took a left turn.

"Uh, the interstate's the other way," Sam reminded him.

"I know," Dean said and continued on the road back to town.

"But Dean, this job-I think it's over," Sam voiced his opinion.

"I'm not so sure," Dean shook his head.

"If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter's spirit got its revenge, case closed," Sam asserted. "The spirit should be at rest."

"All right, so what if we take off and this thing isn't done. You know, what if we missed something? What if more people get hurt?" Dean argued back.

"But why would you think that?" Sam couldn't get his point.

"Because Lucas was really scared," Dean answered.

"That's what this is about?" Sam asked incredulously.

"I just don't want to leave town till I know the kid's okay," Dean explained.

"Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?" Sam said.

"Shut up," Dean bit out.

"Are you sure about this? It's pretty late man," Sam said once they reached Andrea's house. Dean ignored him rung the doorbell.

Lucas opened the door and took Dean's hand. He took them to a bathroom door which had water flowing out of it. Dean kicked the door open and saw Andrea in the bathtub. Sam went to save her while Dean held on to Lucas. Lyra couldn't stand the scene in front of her and so bolted out of the house, mumbling a sorry. Dean watched her worriedly but decided to focus on the more pressing matter at hand.

Lyra ran to the impala and leaned on its hood, trying to stop the memories that came flooding back. They were of her mother and father. The day they died. She had found her mother in the bathroom, drowned to death in the sink. There was water everywhere, just like now. She let the tears flow and cried her heart out. She was really close to her parents and living without them was already hard; she didn't need to relive their death. Her brain had blocked the bad memories but they resurfaced sometimes, making her have one of her crying episodes.

'You need to pull it together, Lyra. You're on a hunt,' she thought and took a deep breath. Just then Lucas led Dean outside of the house, probably to show him something. Lyra quickly wiped her tears and joined them.

"What happened?" she asked Sam.

"Looks like the sheriff, too, was involved in the murder," he replied. "I'll get the shovels," he said to Dean.

"You take Lucas inside," Dean said to Andrea.

Sam and Dean dug the ground until they hit something hard. It was Peter's bike.

"Who are you?" Mr. Bar said, pointing a gun at them.

"Put the gun down, Jake," Sam held up his hands.

"How did you know that was there?" the sheriff motioned to the bike.

"What happened-you and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake, and then buried the bike?" Dean asked. "You can't bury the truth, Jake. Nothing stays buried."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," the sheriff backed.

"You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney 35 years ago," Dean snarled. "That's what the hell I'm talking about."

"Dad!" Andrea yelled, running out of the house.

"And now you got one seriously pissed off spirit," Dean continued.

"It's gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love. It's gonna drown them," Sam added. "And it's gonna drag their bodies God knows where, so you can feel the same pain Peter's mom felt. And then, after that, it's gonna take you, and it's not gonna stop until it does."

"Yeah, and how do you know that?" the sheriff sneered.

"Because that's exactly what it did to Bill Carlton," Sam replied.

"Listen to yourselves, both of you," he laughed humorlessly. "You're insane."

"I don't really give a rat's ass what you think of us," Dean said. "But if we're gonna bring down this spirit, we need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them into dust. Now tell me you buried Peter somewhere. Tell me you didn't just let him go in the lake." The sheriff's silence was answer in itself.

"Dad, is any of this true?" Andrea asked.

"No. Don't listen to them, they're liars, and they're dangerous," he tried to persuade her. "Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake."

"Dad, look at me," she asked him. "Tell me you—you didn't kill anyone," she pleaded and her father looked away. She got her answer. "Oh my God."

"Billy and I were at the lake. Peter was the smallest one. We always bullied him, but this time…it got rough," he told them. "We were holding his head under the water, we didn't mean to. But we held him under too long and he drowned. We let the body go, and it sank. Oh Andrea, we were kids. We were so scared. It was a mistake. But, Andrea, to say that I have anything to do with these drowning, with Chris, because of some ghost…it's not rational."

"All right listen to me, all of you" Dean said. "We need to get you away from this lake as far as we can right now."

Andrea gasped in horror when she saw Lucas going near the lake, "Lucas!" He put his hand in the water and another pale hand grasped it, taking Lucas down. Dean ran to the dock and jumped in the lake.

"Stay out of the water," Sam yelled and dived in after Dean.

"Oh my God!" Andrea exclaimed and took her jacket off, ready to go in but Lyra held her back.

"They'll get him back. He'll be fine," Lyra assured her.

"Lucas where are you," Andrea mumbled in desperation.

"Peter, if you can hear me," Mr. Bar said, going into the water. "Please Peter, I'm sorry. I'm so—I'm so sorry."

"Daddy, no," Andrea shouted.

"Peter. Lucas-he's just a little boy," he ignored her. "Please, it's not his fault, it's mine. Please take me."

The same pale hand came out of the water and dragged Mr. Bar into the water.

"Daddy! Daddy! No!" Andrea cried but she knew that her father was gone. Dean came out of the water shortly afterwards, holding Lucas in his arms.

That night Lyra couldn't sleep; so she went to sit by the window with her parents' photo in her hands. She stared at it in the dim moonlight and silent tears started to stream down her face.

Dean woke up to find the other side of his bed empty. He looked around the room and spotted her by the window. He thought she needed some time alone, so he went back to sleep but something caught his eye. There was something glistening on her cheek. He realized a moment later that she was crying. He stood up and pulled a chair to sit beside her. Lyra kept staring at the photo.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked softly.

"I miss them," she admitted, running her fingers over the photo. "I never told you how they died," she said after a moment.

"It's okay. You don't need to," he told her.

"I woke up one morning, 22nd April," she started nonetheless. "I went downstairs to greet my parents good morning, when I noticed my dad lying on the floor near the bottom of the stairs. There was a pool of blood around his head. I was horrified, didn't know what to do. Then I remembered mom and rushed to their bedroom. There was water everywhere. I found her slumped near the sink, with no life in her eyes. She had drowned," Lyra paused to take a sobbing breath. "As I see it, my dad probably slipped and fell down the stairs while my mom was still sleeping. And when she woke up, she would've thought that he'd be back any minute. She didn't know that he was dead already and she too was going to. The police suspected that I had killed them but ruled that out on lack of evidence."

"Oh," Dean was out of words.

"I was alone Dean. They left me alone," she cried into his chest.

"But I'm here now," he rubbed her back soothingly.

"No," she pulled away. "You wouldn't have been here if we hadn't gotten married in the first place. You didn't even knew me two months back. You're bearing me because you have no other choice. If this mishap of us wouldn't have happened, you wouldn't give shit about me."

"Maybe something good came out of this marriage," Dean said.

"No! You have no personal time; you can't do things that you want to. You're forced to share your life with me, just to keep me alive. How is this fair to you?" she ranted.

"Look," he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "If it means sharing my whole damn life with you to keep you alive, then I'd do it. And I'll do it happily," he said looking in her eyes. "We may have met as strangers but now you're family. And I care about you. You're not alone in this world and I need you to fit this in that crazy head of yours. Alright?" Lyra nodded. He wiped her tears away and stood up, "Now, we end this feelings crap right here and go to bed."

"Okay," she laughed. "Thanks, Dean."

"What did I say? No chick flick moment, now."

"Yes, sir," she said and slipped under the blanket beside Dean.

The next morning, they were loading their luggage in the impala when Andrea and Lucas walked up to them. "We're glad we caught you. We just, um, we made you lunch for the road," she said, motioning to the tray that Lucas was holding. "Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself."

"Can I give it to them now?" he asked her and she nodded enthusiastically.

"All right," Dean said to him as they put the tray in the back. "If you're gonna be talking now, this is a very important phrase, so I want you to repeat it one more time."

"Zeppelin rules," Lucas smiled widely.

"That's right, up high," Dean held up his hand for a high five which Lucas returned. "You take care of your mom, okay?"

"Yeah," he replied.

Andrea turned to Lyra, "Thank you." She hugged her and whispered in her ear, "It'll be easier if you accept it. Don't fight it."

Lyra was again left confused by her words. Andrea pulled back and smiled at her. They said their goodbyes and the trio headed for their next hunt.

**A/N: Hi! Another chapter over; feels good. Next episode will be Phantom Traveler as suggested by Marie Whitlock. See you guys soon!**


	10. Phantom Traveler 1

**A/N: Hello gals and whatever guys that read my story. Here's Phantom Traveler as I promised. Please review and tell me how it was. I'll update soon.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

Dean woke up sometime in the night because the bed was shaking now and then. He turned on his other side to find Lyra thrashing in her sleep. She was talking incoherently and he could see the sheen of sweat on her face. He moved closer to her and tried to wake her up.

"Dean, no. Please… don't leave me. Not you too," she mumbled, shaking her head vehemently and reaching out for something.

Dean grabbed her hands and shook her, "Hey. Wake up. It's just a dream. I'm not gonna leave you." He was actually surprised that she was dreaming about him leaving her. That was never gonna happen, he had promised her.

Lyra opened her eyes and looked at him with relief, "Oh Dean." She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, wanting to feel that he was really there.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm here," he soothed her, patting her back lightly.

"Y-you… d-died," she stammered. "Right in front of me… and I was alone. First mom-dad and then you. I couldn't," she didn't complete her sentence and started sobbing.

"It's okay. I'm not dead and you're not alone. I'm not going to leave you. Never," he said and let her cry on his shoulder. She stopped abruptly and pulled back, wiping her tears away.

"I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have," she trailed off uncertainly, looking down.

He lifted her chin up with his fingers, to make her look him in the eyes, "You don't have to apologize." She nodded tearfully at him and Dean wrapped her in his arms once again. He lowered them on the bed and shifted around, so that her head was on his shoulder with his arm around her. She snuggled closer to him to bury her face in his neck and fell asleep moments later.

Dean stayed awake a little more to make sure she was fine and that's when he noticed that Sam's bed was empty. He scanned the room worriedly to find the TV was on mute but Sam was nowhere in sight. Just when he thought of going in search of him, Sam came out of the bathroom and took the seat in front of the TV not realizing that Dean was awake. Dean looked at his watch and it read 3 am. He decided to stay silent for now and went back to sleep.

What felt like only minutes later to Dean, the motel room door shut loudly, effectively waking him up. He tried to sit up but something kept him down: Lyra's weight. She was still asleep beside him with her arm around his torso.

"Morning, love birds," Sam said cheerfully, setting a bag on the table and smirking at the two of them.

Dean glared at him, "What time is it?"

"It's about 5:45," Sam replied.

"In the morning?" he asked and gently slid Lyra off of him to sit up. "Where does the day go?" he said rhetorically and rubbed his face. Lyra groaned beside him and opened her eyes with a frown, not wanting to wake up yet. Dean smiled at her, and then turned to Sam, "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Yeah, I grabbed a couple hours," he shrugged.

"Liar," Dean remarked. "'Cause I was up at three, and you were watching the George Foreman infomercial."

"Hey, what can I say? It's riveting TV," he smirked. "And why were you up at three?"

"Uh…" Dean glanced at Lyra, who was now sitting up. "She had a nightmare." Sam nodded understandingly. "When was the last time you got a good night's sleep?" Dean turned to him again.

"I don't know. A little while, I guess," Sam said in an uncaring tone. "It's not a big deal."

"Yeah, it is," Dean said simply.

Sam rolled his eyes, "Look, I appreciate your concern—"

"Oh, I'm not concerned about you," Dean cut him off. "It's your job to keep my ass alive, and my job to keep her alive," he pointed at Lyra. "So I need you sharp." Sam didn't respond. "Seriously, are you still having nightmares about Jess?" Dean got straight to the point.

"Yeah," Sam admitted. "But it's not just her. It's everything. I just forgot, you know? This job—man, it gets to you."

"I totally agree," Lyra said, remembering her nightmare. Dean looked at her with concern and placed his hand on top of hers. She looked down at their hands, surprised by Dean's small gesture of comfort.

"Well, you can't let it. You can't bring it home like that," Dean said to Sam.

"So, what?" Sam asked incredulously. "All this—it never keeps you up at night?" Dean shook his head in answer. "Never? You're never afraid?" he asked again.

"No, not really," Dean shrugged. Sam narrowed his eyes and leaned over Lyra to reach under Dean's pillow. Lyra pressed herself even further back against the headboard, startled by his sudden proximity. He pulled out a knife from under the pillow and straightened back. She released her breath and looked over at Dean who was clearly not happy by Sam's actions. Sam noticed the short exchange of glances between them and realized his mistake.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," he apologized to her. "I didn't think first."

"It's okay," she smiled a little.

Dean took the knife from Sam's hand. "That's not fear; that's precaution."

"All right, whatever," Sam turned away. "I'm too tired to argue."

Just then Dean's cell phone and he picked it up, "Hello?"

_"Dean, its Jerry Panowski. You and your dad helped me out a couple years back."_

"Oh, right, yeah, up in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, the poltergeist thing," Dean said. "It's not back, is it?"

_"No, no. Thank God, no. But it's something else, and, well, I think it could be a lot worse."_

"What is it?" Dean furrowed his brows.

_"Can we talk in person?"_

"Yeah, sure. We'll be there soon," Dean replied and then hung up.

"What happened?" Lyra asked.

"We've got a case," Dean sighed, getting up out of the bed.

"Who was that?" she questioned again.

"A guy I and dad helped quite a while ago," he said. "There's some new problem now."

"Oh well," she muttered and stretched to get her body ready for another day.

They reached Pennsylvania and met with Jerry at some warehouse. "Hey, Dean! How you doin'?" the guy greeted him with a firm handshake. "You must be Sam, right?" he extended his hand to him.

"Yeah, that's right," Sam replied, shaking his hand as well.

"And who's this lovely young lady?" he asked with a smile.

"Lyra, my wife," Dean answered him. The girl in question turned her head to look at Dean with surprise on her face. For the first time, Dean didn't hesitate to tell that she was his wife. But who wouldn't be proud of having a beautiful girl as his wife? Plus if men knew that she was already taken, they would back off. And that's why Dean didn't mind telling Jerry that they were married. But if it would have been a woman, Dean wouldn't mind hiding that fact.

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Winchester," he said, placing a kiss on her hand. Lyra blushed at his display of chivalry and moved closer to Dean. His words got Dean thinking that yes, Lyra was actually a Winchester now. 'Mrs. Dean Winchester. Lyra Dean Winchester. Lyra Auden Winchester. Lyra Winchester,' he thought with a smile. He liked the ring they all had.

"Please come with me," Jerry gestured with his hand and they all started towards his office.

"Thanks for making the trip so quick," Jerry said. "I ought to be doing you guys a favor, not the other way round." He then turned to Sam, "Dean and your dad really helped me out."

"Yeah, he told me," Sam nodded. "It was a poltergeist?"

"'Poltergeist'?" a man exclaimed. "Man, I loved that movie!"

"Hey, nobody's talking' to you," Jerry yelled. "Damn right, it was a poltergeist; practically tore our house apart." He shook his head and looked at Dean, "I'll tell you something-if it wasn't for you and your dad, I probably wouldn't be alive." Dean just smiled modestly in return.

"Your dad said you were off at college. Is that right?" he asked Sam.

"Yeah, I was. I'm… taking some time off," Sam replied a little hesitantly.

"Well, he was real proud of you. I could tell," Jerry commented. "He talked about you all the time."

"He did?" Sam asked, wide-eyed. He looked at Dean for confirmation.

"Yeah, you bet he did," Jerry nodded. "Oh, hey, you know, I tried to get a hold of him, but I couldn't. How's he doing, anyway?"

"He's, um….he's wrapped up in a job right now," Dean told him uncomfortably.

"Well, we're missing the old man. We get Sam. Even trade, huh?" he asked.

"No, not by a long shot," Sam chuckled.

"And how can I forget the beautiful new addition," Jerry added with a friendly smile. "Dean is lucky, isn't he?"

"I don't know about him, but I surely am the luckiest girl to have him," Lyra said with a wide smile directed at Dean. He looked in her eyes to see that she wasn't mocking him. She believed what she said.

"I am indeed lucky," he stated, still staring in her captivating emerald green eyes. Sam cleared his throat to get their attention and motioned to Jerry who smiled at them and walked into his office.

"I've got something I want you guys to hear," he inserted a CD in a player, after they had sat down. "I listened to this. Well, it sounded like it was up your alley. Normally, I wouldn't have access to this. It's the cockpit voice recorder for United Britannia Flight 2485. It was one of ours." He pressed play and they heard only static at first but then there were incoherent words followed by screams. At last there was a hiss.

Jerry launched into details, "Took off from here; crashed about two hundred miles south. Now, they're saying mechanical failure. The cabin depressurized somehow. Nobody knows why. Over a hundred people on board—only seven got out alive. The pilot was one. His name is Chuck Lambert. He's a good friend of mine. Chuck is, uh….well, he's pretty broken up about it,-like it was his fault."

"You don't think it was?" Sam asked.

"No, I don't," he replied with a shake of his head.

"Jerry, we're gonna need passenger manifests, a list of survivors…" Sam listed off.

"Right, and any way we can take a look at the wreckage?" Dean added.

"The other stuff is no problem, but the wreckage-" Jerry paused. "The NTSB has it locked down in an evidence warehouse. No way have I got that kind of clearance."

"No problem," Dean smirked, already having a plan in his mind.

Dean took them to a copy center and while he dragged Lyra with him inside, Sam waited in the car.

"Dean, what are you going to do now?" Lyra asked sulkily.

"We need a look at the wreckage, so we need new IDs," Dean answered with a silly grin. Lyra huffed out a 'whatever' and waited for him to finish. While the cards were printing, Dean turned to her, "Luckiest girl in the world?"

Lyra didn't catch what he was talking about for a second but then her mind worked and she almost shot a smart answer back. What stopped her was Dean's curious look. He wasn't teasing her; he just wanted to know why she said that.

"It's true. I am lucky," she shrugged.

"How? I mean I'm not the kind of husband a girl would dream of," he said.

"Maybe, but you're the best choice out there for me. I'm serious," she added the last part when she saw his incredulous look. "Not many guys will believe me when I tell them about my curse. And those who'll do won't be as tough as you, let alone smart and hot."

"I'm hot?" he asked with a smirk.

"No one can deny that," she agreed to which Dean smiled widely and so she continued. "But don't let it go to your head or else it'll push your little brain out and you'll become brainless," she laughed at her own joke while Dean scowled.

"You've been in there forever," Sam exclaimed when they finally came out.

"You can't rush perfection," Dean held up the fake IDs, proud of his handiwork.

Sam took a look at them. "Homeland Security?" he scoffed. "That's pretty illegal, even for us."

"Yeah well, it's something new, you know? People haven't seen it a thousand times," Dean justified. "All right, so, what do you got?"

"Well, there's definitely EVP on the cockpit voice recorder," Sam replied, opening his laptop. "Listen." He played an audio clip and after a few moments a voice said 'No survivors.'

"'No survivors'?" Dean asked. "What's that supposed to mean? There were seven survivors."

"Got me," Sam nodded lightly.

"So, what are you thinking? A haunted flight?" Dean guessed.

"There's a long history of spirits and death omens on planes and ships, like phantom travelers," Sam said. "Or, remember Flight 401?"

"Right—the one that crashed, then the airline salvaged some of its parts, put it in other planes, then the spirit of the pilot and co-pilot haunted those flights," Dean explained for Lyra's sake.

"Maybe we've got a similar deal," Sam suggested.

"All right, so, survivors," Dean sighed, looking at the list. "Who do we talk to first?"

"Third on the list—Max Jaffrey," Sam told him.

"Why him?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Well, for one, he's from around here," Sam reasoned. "And two, if anyone saw anything weird, he did."

"What makes you say that?" Dean knitted his eyebrows.

"Well, I spoke to his mother, and she told me where to find him," Sam replied.

"Where?" Lyra asked from the backseat.

"Riverfront Psychiatric Hospital."

"He's nuts?" Lyra made a face. "I'm sitting this one out."

"Oh no, sweetheart. It might take longer than your 30 minutes deadline," Dean smirked.

"Even if it won't, you'll stretch it. Fine, I'll come." She crossed her arms across her chest in annoyance.

They went in search of Max Jaffrey once they reached the hospital and a nurse helped them out. He took them to the garden where Max was.

"I don't understand," Max said. "I already spoke with Homeland Security."

"Right. Some new information has come up," Dean lied convincingly. "So if you could just answer a couple questions?"

"Just before the plane went down, did you notice anything unusual?" Sam started his questioning.

"Like what?" Max asked.

"Strange lights, weird noises, maybe….voices?" Dean put forward.

"No, nothing," Max answered quickly.

"Hmm. Mr. Jaffrey, you checked yourself in here, right?" Dean asked and Max nodded in reply. "Can I ask why?"

"I was a little stressed," Max told them. "I survived a plane crash."

"And that's what terrified you? That's what you were afraid of?"

"I-I don't wanna talk about this anymore," Max said.

But Dean continued, "See, I think maybe you _did_ see something up there. We need to know what."

"No," Max shook his head. "No, I was delusional—seeing things."

"He was seeing things," Dean shrugged.

"It's okay. Then just tell us what you _thought_ you saw, please," Sam prodded.

"There was….this….man. And, uh, he had these….eyes—these, uh…._black_ eyes. And I saw him—or I _thought_ I saw him…" Max trailed off.

"What?" Dean pushed.

"He opened the emergency exit. But that's….that's impossible, right? I mean, I looked it up. There's something' like two tons of pressure on that door."

"This man—did he seem to appear and disappear rapidly?" Sam asked. "It wouldn't look something like a mirage?"

"What are you, nuts?" Max looked at him with an incredulous expression. "He was a passenger. He was sitting right in front of me." The three shared a look and headed out, thanking Max for his help.

"Here we are—George Phelps, seat 20C," Sam stated. They had found out the name of the passenger in front of Max and where he lived.

"Man, I don't care how strong you are," Dean spoke up. "Even yoked up on PCP or something', no way you can open up an emergency door during a flight."

"Not if you're human," Sam reminded. "But maybe this guy, George, was something' else—a creature maybe, in human form?"

Dean raised his eyebrows and pointed at the house, "That looks like a creature's lair to you?"

"Hey, you two go. I'll wait here," Lyra said, leaning back in the seat.

"Alright, you enjoy whatever alone time you can get. We'll be back soon," Dean told her and went after Sam. They returned few minutes later and Sam started speaking as they reached the Impala.

"I mean, it goes without saying," he said. "It just doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah, a middle-aged dentist with an ulcer is not exactly evil personified," Dean joked. "You know, what we need to do is get inside that NTSB warehouse, check out the wreckage."

"Okay," Sam agreed. "But if we're gonna go that route, we better look the part."

"What do ya mean?" Lyra asked with a frown.

"It means we gotta dress up," Dean replied simply.

"Ew. You mean I have to wear a skirt?" she pleaded him with her eyes to say no.

"Yeah, exactly that," he gave a lopsided grin.

They first went to women's formal wear shop and waited while Lyra got ready. Sam chose to wait in the impala but Dean had to go with her. He selected her attire, a navy blue pencil skirt with a white blouse, and pushed her in the dressing room. She came out all dressed up with heels on her feet, which she didn't like at all.

"You look good," Dean commented as they made their way outside.

"Why do I have to wear this? People won't believe that I'm Homeland Security. I can just sit in the car," she complained.

"It'll take quite some time inside. I can't leave you alone and Sam might need a hand there," Dean explained calmly.

"Alright," she said, defeated, and got in the car.

She joined the brothers in the men's shop and all eyes turned on her. She grabbed Dean's arm and he noticed how uncomfortable she was. He glared at each and every man in the room which made them turn their attention somewhere else. She gave him a grateful smile but didn't leave his arm. When the brothers both got fitted in a suit, they headed back to their car.

"Man, I look like one of the Blues Brothers," Dean scoffed.

"No, you don't," Sam smiled. "You look more like a seventh grader at his first dance." Lyra chuckled at the image in her head of Dean as a teenager.

"I hate this thing," Dean said.

"You're the one to say?" Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you were right. But we gotta do it," Dean admitted.

"Hey, you want into that warehouse or not?" Sam asked.

They went to the warehouse and showed their fake IDs to get inside. The security guard looked at Lyra suspiciously but she smiled and said, "Looks can be deceiving." He narrowed his eyes but let them through.

They walked around the wreckage of the plane. "What is that?" Sam asked Dean, pointing at a device in his hand.

"It's an EMF meter," Dean explained. "Reads electromagnetic frequencies."

"Yeah, I know what an EMF is," Sam commented and walked over to a door and scraped some yellow powder off its handle putting it in a plastic bag.

"It's homemade," Dean boasted.

"Yeah, I can see that," Sam rolled his eyes. The EMF beeped wildly when Dean held it close to the bag Sam had in his hands.

"What is this stuff?" Dean asked him.

"I got it off the handle," he replied. "I got a feeling I know what it is, but we need to check it out first."

"It smells," Lyra scrunched up her nose in disgust.

They walked around a little more in the yard when suddenly the alarms went off and they made a run to get out. Dean climbed over a fence and waited at the top to help Lyra up. He stretched his hand down and pulled her up after him. He jumped down first and caught her when she jumped. The heels and skirt were a nuisance but she successfully got back in the car.

"Phew, close call," Lyra sighed and removed her heels off. "Now where to?"

"Jerry. To test the sample we've got," Dean answered and drove off.


	11. Phantom Traveler 2

The trio went to Jerry's to check what that stuff actually was. Jerry set up a microscope and looked at the sample himself.

"Huh, strange. This stuff is covered in sulfur," he said.

"You sure?" Sam confirmed.

"Take a look for yourself," Jerry stepped aside. Someone started shouting outside his office. "If you will excuse me, I have an idiot to fire."

"That's why it stunk," Lyra pointed out.

"You know, there are not too many things that leave behind a sulfuric residue," Dean mused out loud.

"Demonic possession?" Sam put forward.

"It would explain how a mortal man would have the strength to open up an emergency hatch," Dean justified.

"If the guy was possessed, it's possible," Sam nodded.

"Yeah, but this goes way beyond floating over a bed or barfing pea soup," Dean said. "I mean, it's one thing to possess a person, but to use 'em to take down an entire airplane?"

"You ever heard of something like this before?" Sam asked.

"Never," Dean shook his head.

"Are you really talking about demons?" Lyra asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, most probably," Sam answered.

Lyra nodded thoughtfully, "Well that's fantastic."

"Tell us about it," Dean rolled his eyes.

Just then Jerry came back, "So what's going on?"

"We'll let you know as soon as we find out," Dean replied. "We've got some research to do, so see ya around."

"Alright. Thanks guys," Jerry smiled.

They went to a motel and settled in their room. Sam immediately opened his laptop to gather more information while Lyra and Dean sat idly with nothing but their thoughts to keep them occupied. A little while later Lyra got bored and turned to her iPod for relaxation.

"So, every religion in every world culture has the concept of demons and demonic possession, right?" Sam spoke up. "I mean Christian, Native American, Hindu—you name it."

"Yeah, but none of 'em describe anything like this," Dean stated.

"Well, that's not exactly true," Sam opposed. "See, according to Japanese beliefs, certain demons are behind certain disasters, both natural and man-made. One causes earthquakes, another causes disease."

"And this one causes plane crashes?" Dean scoffed. "All right, so what? We've got a demon that's evolved with the times and found a way to ratchet up the body count?"

"Yeah," Sam sighed. "You know, who knows how many planes it's brought down before this one?" Dean turned away and looked to be brooding over the matter. "What?"

"I don't know, man. This isn't our normal gig," Dean voiced his thoughts. "I mean, demons—they don't want anything, just death and destruction for its own sake. This is big," he paused. "You know, I wish Dad was here."

"Yeah," Sam admitted. "Me, too."

Lyra had dozed off on the bed with her iPod still playing song after song. She was sleeping in a sitting position, very close to the edge. She turned on her side and nearly fell but Dean caught her just in time. The jerk woke her up and she blinked her eyes open to meet with Dean's gaze. He helped her sit up and picked up her iPod which wasn't as lucky to be saved by him.

"Uh… thanks," she said in a thick voice.

"You can't survive even a minute without me." He smirked with a shake of his head.

"Yeah cause my bad luck started the day I married you," she retorted. "So, sue me if I need help in even staying alive."

Dean was about to shot back when his cell phone started ringing, "Hello?"

"_Dean, it's Jerry."_

"Oh, hey, Jerry."

_"My pilot friend, Chuck Lambert, is dead."_

"Jerry, I'm sorry. What happened?"

_"He and his buddy went up in a small twin about an hour ago. The plane went down."_

"Where'd this happen?"

_"About sixty miles west of here, near Nazareth."_

"I'll try to ignore the irony in that."

_"I'm sorry?"_

"Nothing. Jerry, hang in there, all right? We'll catch up with you soon." With that Dean hung up and sighed.

"Another crash?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Let's go," Dean said.

"Where?" Sam asked again.

"Nazareth," Dean replied.

"Hey, wait a minute for me," Lyra called and hurried to the bathroom.

When she came out, the room was empty. She opened the door and looked around but there was no sign of Dean or Sam or the Impala. Her heart sank but she refused to believe that Dean had left her. She pulled out her phone and called both of them but none answered. With every passing second her anxiety grew and she couldn't control her tears any more.

She looked around frantically in the parking lot and just when she was going to break down someone touched her shoulder. She whipped around instantly and met with Dean's grinning face. Her fear turned into anger and she pushed him with all her might. Dean stumbled back and sobered up immediately. He knew he had gone too far. Lyra was afraid of being left alone and he, of all people, knew that.

"I hate you," she yelled, wiping away her tears angrily but they continued to leak from her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely and moved towards her but she stepped back.

"Don't, Dean," she sobbed and got into the Impala which Sam had parked beside them.

Dean sighed and looked at Sam for help who merely shrugged with an 'I told you so' look. He glanced at Lyra one more time and got in.

No one uttered a single word during the drive to Nazareth and afterwards. They searched the ruins of the plane and collected another sample which they took to Jerry's. Dean kept throwing glances at Lyra all the while but she avoided his gaze. Jerry checked the sample under the microscope again.

"Sulfur?" Dean questioned and got a nod in reply. "Well, that's great. All right, so, that's two plane crashes involving Chuck Lambert. This demon sounds like it was after him."

"With all due respect to Chuck, um….if that's the case, that would be the good news," Sam said, considerate of Jerry's emotions.

"What's the bad news?" Dean asked.

"Chuck's plane went down exactly forty minutes into flight," Sam answered. "And get this—so did Flight 2485."

"Forty minutes? What does that mean?" Jerry asked.

"It's biblical numerology. On Noah's Ark, it rained for forty days," Dean explained. "The number means death."

"I went back, and there have been six plane crashes over the last decade that all went down exactly forty minutes in," Sam informed.

"Any survivors?" Dean asked.

"No," Sam replied. "Or not. Until now, at least—not until Flight 2485, for some reason. And the cockpit voice recorder—remember what the EVP said?"

"No survivors," Dean recalled.

"It's going after all the survivors. It's trying to finish the job," Sam stated. That was enough to put them in motion and they headed back to their car. While Sam contacted every remaining survivor, Dean tried to talk to Lyra.

"Hey, wait," he stopped her and when she didn't, he grabbed her arm. "Look at me." She turned around reluctantly and waited for him to continue. "I'm really sorry. I know I shouldn't have done that. I just… please say something."

Lyra looked in his eyes and was shocked to see so much regret. She knew he didn't apologize to anybody. It was difficult for him to express any kind of feelings. Yet here he was, standing in front of her, pleading for her forgiveness.

"Don't leave me alone. Ever. Not even for a prank," she said. "I can't deal being alone anymore. I pulled myself together after them with great difficulties and I was doing fine until you came. Like it or not, I've grown attached to you. So, just bear me, please."

"I promise that won't be repeated. Ever," he vowed. "So, am I forgiven?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Now, stop this chick flick moment, right?"

"Yeah," he laughed and placed a quick kiss on her forehead. "Come on."

They went to the car to find Sam still on the phone. "Really? Well, thank you for taking our survey, and if you do plan to fly, please don't forget your friends at United Britannia Airlines," he was saying. "Thanks," he ended the call and turned to them. "All right, that takes care of Blaine Sanderson and Dennis Holloway. They're not flying anytime soon, nor any other except Amanda."

"So, our only wildcard is the flight attendant, Amanda Walker," Dean stated, looking through the list.

"Right. Her sister, Karen, said her flight leaves Indianapolis at 8 PM," Sam said. "It's her first night back on the job."

"That sounds like just our luck," Dean commented.

"Dean, this is a five-hour drive, man," Sam reminded him. "Even with you behind the wheel."

"Why don't you call Amanda's cell phone again—see if we can head her off at the pass," Dean suggested.

"I've already left her three voice messages. She must have turned her cell phone off," Sam replied.

"We'll make it, Sammy," Dean asserted, stepping on the accelerator.

"Yeah, if we don't crash first, that is," Lyra muttered.

"You have that little faith in me?" Dean asked offended.

"It's not you that I don't trust; it's the idiots who call themselves fit to drive," she said.

"That's better," he smiled.

"You two kissed and made up?" Sam asked alternating glances between the two.

Dean glowered at him while Lyra replied, "You know Sam, your brother scored on this one. I actually expected you to apologize first." Dean grinned at Sam smugly and she continued, "You helped him in his stupid prank, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry for that," Sam turned to her with his puppy-dog eyes. "I was going to answer your call when he snatched my phone away from me. What could've I done after that?"

"But you did left with him in the first place," she pointed out.

"I thought we were gonna wait in the car but then he just started driving," Sam argued.

"Alright, whatever," she waved him off. "Matter dropped. Period."

"Thanks," Sam smiled.

They made it to the airport in record time and once there, they stopped to check the status of Amanda's flight on the schedule board.

"Right there," Sam pointed. "They're boarding in thirty minutes."

"Okay. We still have some cards to play," Dean remarked. "We need to find a phone." Lyra found one and they followed her there. Sam and Lyra looked up at Dean expectantly and he glared at them annoyingly.

He picked up the phone and dialed the operator. "Hi. Gate 13—I'm trying to contact an Amanda Walker. She's a flight attendant on Flight, um…."

"424," Sam supplied.

"Flight 424," Dean said. The operator made an announcement over the loudspeaker for Amanda. "Come on…" Dean pleaded under his breath. "Miss Walker. Hi, this is Dr. James Hadfield from St. Francis Memorial Hospital. We have a Karen Walker here," he paused. "Nothing serious-just a minor car accident. But she was injured, so—" he stopped abruptly and looked at them helplessly. "You what?"

"Uh, well….there must be some mistake," he backtracked. He listened to whatever she was saying and then smiled, "Guilty as charged. He's really sorry….. Yes, but he really needs to see you tonight, so—don't be like that. Come on, the guy's a mess, really….it's pathetic," he was cut off by her. "No, no, wait, Amanda."

"Damn it! So close," Dean exclaimed after hanging up.

"Wow. Dean Winchester couldn't convince a woman. That's a first," Lyra commented. "Maybe you're worthless without your looks."

"Shut up! We're trying to find a way to save people here," Dean berated her.

"Geez, sorry," she placated.

"All right, it's time for Plan B," Sam stated. "We're getting on that plane."

"Now, just hold on a second," Dean said anxiously.

"Dean, that plane is leaving with over a hundred passengers on board, and if we're right, that plane is gonna crash," Sam reasoned.

"I know!" Dean yelled.

"We're getting on the plane, we need to find that demon, and exorcise it," Sam enjoined. "Look, I'll get the tickets. You and Lyra just go and get whatever you can out of the trunk; whatever will make it through security. Meet me back here in five minutes."

Lyra turned to follow him out but he wasn't moving. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"No, not really," he answered with a scared expression.

"What? What's wrong?" Sam questioned.

"Well, I kind of have this problem with, uh…" Dean paused, reluctant to continue.

"Flying?" Sam raised his eyebrows.

"You're afraid of flying?" Lyra asked amusedly and Dean shot her a scathing look.

"It's never really been an issue until now," Dean put in dryly.

"You're joking, right?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Dean exploded. "Why do you think I drive everywhere, Sam?"

"Uh, because you love your car?" Lyra guessed but one look from Dean silenced her.

"Alright. Uh, I'll go," Sam said.

"What?" Dean looked at him astounded.

"I'll do this one on my own," Sam explained.

"What are you, nuts?" Dean chided. "You said it yourself, the plane's gonna crash."

"Look, Dean, we can do it together, or I can do this one by myself," Sam deduced. "I'm not seeing a third option here."

"Come on…Really?" Dean looked defeated. "Man."

"If it's any consolation, I hate airplane rides," Lyra told him, and received a small smile in return.

They got the tickets and boarded the plane. Lyra went to take the window seat but Dean grabbed her arm and shook his head. She cocked an eyebrow but still stepped aside to let Sam have it. Dean then pushed her in the middle and sat on the aisle seat himself.

"Just try to relax," Sam said when he noticed that Dean's body was tense and he was holding Lyra's hand a little too tightly.

"Just try to shut up," Dean cried out. Sam chuckled and leaned back in his seat. Lyra tried to comfort Dean by rubbing circles on the back of his hand and he relaxed a tad bit. "Why do you hate flying?" he asked her.

"Because I get this really bad earache at high altitudes. So, don't say I never warned you," she replied.

Dean just nodded his head and closed his eyes when the plane started moving. It picked up speed and so did Dean's heart rate. He gripped Lyra's hand even tighter when it finally took off and she placed her hand over his. Once the plane was stable in the air, he relaxed and let go of her hand. She smiled awkwardly at him and rubbed her hand to ease the pain there. He looked at her totally blue hand and took it gently in his own. He smiled apologetically at her and rubbed it a few times, humming some song.

"Are you humming Metallica?" Sam asked, leaning forward.

Dean threw him an annoyed look, "It calms me down."

"Look, man, I get you're nervous, all right?" Sam said. "But you've got to stay focused."

"Okay," Dean nodded and looked down at Lyra's hand which had gotten some color back.

"I mean, we've got thirty-two minutes and counting to track this thing down, or whoever it's possessing, anyway, and perform a full-on exorcism," Sam tried to get his point across.

"Yeah, on a crowded plane, that's gonna be easy," Dean sneered, now playing with her hand to keep himself occupied. Sam noticed what he was doing and directed his questioning eyes at Lyra who shrugged in response.

"Just take it one step at a time, all right?" Sam said, trying to avert Dean's mind on the hunt. "Now, who is it possessing?"

"Well, it's usually gonna be somebody with some sort of weakness, you know, a chink in the armor that the demon can worm through—somebody with an addiction or some sort of emotional distress," he replied, glancing at them once.

"Well, this is Amanda's first flight after the crash," Sam suggested. "If I were her, I'd be pretty messed up."

"She's that one," Lyra pointed.

"How do you know?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I actually paid attention to their names when they were being announced," she replied haughtily.

"All right, well, I'll go talk to her and, uh, I'll get a read on her mental state," Dean told them.

"What if she's already possessed?" Sam vocalized his doubt.

"There's ways to test that," Dean pulled out a flask of holy water.

Sam shook his head, "I think we can go more subtle. If she's possessed, she'll flinch at the name of God."

"Oh. Nice," he said, getting up.

"Hey," Sam called.

"What?"

"Say it in Latin."

"I know," Dean huffed.

"Hey!" Sam called again.

"What?" Dean asked annoyed.

"In Latin, it's 'Cristo'."

"Dude, I know, I'm not an idiot!" he exclaimed and went to the back to test Amanda. He came back a minute later, "All right, well, she's got to be the most well-adjusted person on the planet."

"You said 'Cristo'?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. There's no demon in her," Dean replied. "There's no demon _getting_ in her."

"So, if it's on the plane, it can be anyone," Sam looked around. "Anywhere."

The plane shook due to some turbulence and Dean gripped Lyra's hand once again. "Come on!" Dean actually shrieked. "That can't be normal!"

"Dean, look at me," Lyra demanded and Dean turned his panicked gaze on her. "It's normal. Alright? Like bumps on a road."

"Yeah, it's just a little turbulence," Sam agreed.

"This plane is going to crash, okay? So quit treating me like I'm friggin' four!" Dean argued.

"You need to calm down," Sam said softly.

"Well, I'm sorry, I can't!"

"Yes, you can," he emphasized.

Dean scowled at him, "Dude, stow the touchy-feely, self-help yoga crap. It's not helping!"

"Listen, if you're panicked, you're wide open to demonic possession, so you need to calm yourself down right now," Sam said calmly.

"Just relax," Lyra added, rubbing his arm soothingly. "We're not gonna die in a plane crash. I still have countless days to annoy the shit out of you."

Dean smiled slightly, "And I have to pay back." Lyra laughed lightly, "Yeah."

"Good," Sam remarked at Dean's less tense state and took out John's journal. "Now, I found an exorcism in here that I think is gonna work—the ritual Romano."

"What do we have to do?" Dean asked.

"It's two parts. The first part expels the demon from the victim's body. It makes it manifest, which actually makes it more powerful."

"More powerful? How?"

"Well, it doesn't need to possess someone anymore," Sam explained. "It can just wreak havoc on its own."

"And why is that a good thing?" Dean furrowed his eyebrows.

"Well, because the second part sends the bastard back to hell, once and for all," Sam answered.

"First things first—we've got to find it," Dean stated and took out the EMF readers. They swept the whole plane with it but got nothing. Sam came up behind Dean and placed a hand on his shoulder which made him turn around frighteningly. "Oh! Don't do that!"

"Anything?" Sam asked and Lyra joined them from their seats where she sitting while they searched.

"No, nothing," Dean replied. "You alright?" he asked Lyra who was pulling her ears now and then.

"Yeah, just that earache," she moaned. Dean nodded sympathetically and felt bad that he couldn't do anything to ease her pain.

"How much time we got?" he asked Sam.

"Fifteen minutes," Sam said glancing around. "Maybe we missed somebody."

"Maybe the thing's just not on the plane," Dean voiced his wishful thinking.

"You believe that?" Sam looked at him critically.

"Well, I will if you will," Dean shrugged.

Suddenly Dean's EMF meter started beeping and they turned around to find the co-pilot coming out of the washroom. Dean said 'Cristo' and the co-pilot turned back with his eyes completely black. He went back to the cockpit and closed the door behind him.

"Uh-oh," Lyra said with her eyes wide.

They decided to ask for Amanda's help in getting the co-pilot.

"You think she'll believe us?" Lyra asked.

"Twelve minutes," Dean reminded and opened the curtain to the back where Amanda was.

"Oh, hi," she smiled. "Flight's not too bumpy for you, I hope."

"Actually, that's kind of what we need to talk to you about," Dean said.

Sam drew back the curtain and she got nervous, "Um, okay. What can I do for you?"

"All right, this is gonna sound nuts, but we just don't have time for the whole 'The truth is out there' speech right now," Dean started.

"All right, look, we know you were on Flight 2485," Sam continued.

"Who are you guys?" she asked.

"We've spoken to some of the other survivors," Sam went on. "We know something brought down that plane, and it wasn't mechanical failure."

"And we need your help because we need to stop it from happening again, here, now," Dean motioned to the plane.

She tried to evade them, "I-I'm sorry, I'm very busy."

Dean blocked her way, "Whoa, whoa. Wait a second. I'm not gonna hurt you, okay? But listen to me—the pilot from 2485, Chuck Lambert—he's dead."

"Wait, what? Chuck is dead?" She asked disbelievingly.

"He died in a plane crash. Now, that's two plane crashes in two months. That doesn't strike you as strange?" Dean reasoned.

"Look, there was something wrong with 2485," Sam said. "Now, maybe you sensed it, and maybe you didn't, but there's something wrong with this flight, too."

"Amanda, you have to believe us," Dean pleaded. "Please," Lyra added to let her see how desperate they were.

"On….on 2485, there was this man. He….had these eyes," she whispered.

"Yes, that's exactly what we're talking about," Sam nodded energetically.

"But I don't understand. What are you asking me to do?" she asked.

"Get the co-pilot. We need you to bring him back here," Sam replied.

"Why? What does he have to do with anything?"

"Don't have time to explain. We just need to talk to him, okay?" Dean said.

"But how am I supposed to go into the cockpit and get the co-pilot—"

Sam interrupted her, "Whatever it takes. Do whatever it takes. Tell him there's something broken back here. Whatever will get him out of that cockpit."

"Do you know that I could lose my job if—"

"You're gonna lose a lot more than that if you don't help us out," Dean interjected.

"It's about life and death here," Lyra told her seriously.

"Okay," she conceded and went to the cockpit door. She successfully persuaded the co-pilot to come to the back where the trio was waiting for him.

Dean pushed Lyra behind his back and she gulped loudly, clutching at his arm. "It'll be alright," he said and looked once in her eyes. He placed his hand over hers and prepared himself for the exorcism.

As soon as the co-pilot came in, Dean hit him in the face and floored him, then he duct-taped his mouth. "What are you doing? You said you were just gonna talk to him!" Amanda said coming in.

"We _are_ gonna talk to him," Dean stated as Sam splashed the co-pilot with holy water making his skin sizzle.

"Oh, my God, what's wrong with him?" She asked stepping forward but Sam pushed her back.

"It's okay. Just stay calm. We need you calm. We need you outside the curtain," Sam said. "Don't let anybody in, okay? Can you do that?" She just stood stock-still. "Amanda?"

"Okay. Okay," she nodded and stepped out.

"Hurry up, Sam. I don't know how much longer I can hold him," Dean called having a hard time keeping the demon down.

Sam started reading the exorcism from John's journal but then all of a sudden the demon flung him and Dean into the walls. He turned to Lyra but she was quick to uncap the holy water flask and splash it at him. Dean saw the exchange and lunged at him once again. Meanwhile Sam picked up the journal and continued to read. The co-pilot knocked Dean to the ground and took off the duct tape.

"I know what happened to your girlfriend!" the demon said to Sam and he looked at him in shock. "She must have died screaming! Even now, she's burning!"

"Sam!" Lyra bellowed and Sam went back to the exorcism.

The co-pilot was struggling too much now and Sam went to give Dean a hand in handling him. The demon kicked the journal out of Sam's hand and a black smoke erupted from his mouth. It went into the vent and disappeared.

"Where'd it go?" Sam asked.

"It's in the plane," Dean replied. "Hurry up; we've got to finish it."

Sam went in search of the journal and just when Dean and Lyra were stepping out, the plane dived. They were forced into a wall and Dean started screaming. He took Lyra's hand and pulled her close to him.

"Dean, relax!" she yelled. "Please. You're scaring me." Dean opened his eyes to look at her and found she was freaking out. She had tears in her eyes and he scolded himself for making it worse for her.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted over the screams from the passengers and hugged her like it was the end. Well, maybe it was.

"I'm not gonna die here and neither are you," she said in his ears. He responded by tightening his hold on her and biting his tongue to keep from screaming anymore. And just like it had started, it ended. Everyone became quiet. Sam had done it. The demon was back to rot in hell.

They stepped away from each other and just stared at one another. The moment was perfect for a kiss but it's Dean we're talking about. He isn't the one to act upon his true feelings so easily and Lyra was too shy to initiate. He just brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and kissed her on the forehead, just like always.

They found Sam with the journal in his hand and a triumphant grin on his face. The plane went back to its departing airport and made an emergency landing. The trio stuck around for a little while and then snuck out of the chaotic area.

"Hey, you alright?" Dean asked an unusually silent Sam.

"Dean…." He said. "It knew about Jessica."

"Sam, these things—they read minds. They lie, all right?" Dean reasoned. "That's all it was." Sam merely nodded but was unconvinced.

Outside they met with Jerry who looked really happy, "You did it. Nobody knows what you guys did, but I do. A lot of people could have been killed." He shook Dean's hand as a goodbye. "Your dad's gonna be real proud."

"We'll see you around, Jerry," Sam said, getting in the car.

"You know, Jerry?" Dean asked. "I meant to ask you—how did you get my cell phone number, anyway? I've only had it for, like, six months."

"Your dad gave it to me," he replied.

"What?" Sam stopped to look at him.

"When did you talk to him?" Dean asked.

"Well, I didn't exactly talk to him, but I called his number, and his voice message said to give you a call. Thanks again, guys," he said for the last time before walking away.

"This doesn't make any sense, man," Sam commented. "I've called Dad's number, like, fifty times. It's been out of service."

Dean pulled out his phone and dialed John, putting it on speaker. It rang a few times and then John's voice was heard, "This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean at 866-907-3235. He can help." Dean shut the phone close and got in the car. Lyra placed a hand on his shoulder from the backseat and shared an assuring look with him.

**A/N: So, Phantom Traveler completed. I was reluctant to do it but then Marie Whitlock suggested it and your wish is my command. I'll write more soon. Until then review and help me to improve. Thanks a lot for reading. Bye.**


	12. Skin 1

**A/N: Hey! I know it's been a week since I updated but I'm here now. I jumped to Skin; hope you're okay with that. Next part will be posted on Sunday maybe. In the meantime, please review. I'd like to know how I'm doing. And thank you all for your support.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of its characters but yeah Lyra is my imagination.**

"Alright, I figure we'd hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south, hit Bisbee by midnight," Dean said, pulling up to gas filler. "Sam wears women's underwear," Dean commented in the same tone and Lyra sniggered lightly.

"I've been listening," Sam replied. "I'm just busy."

"Busy doing what?" Dean asked getting out of the car, glancing at Lyra in the backseat, who had her eyes closed and her iPod plugged in.

"Reading e-mails," Sam answered, still not looking up.

"E-mails from who?" Dean questioned again, rounding the car to get to the pump.

"From my friends at Stanford," Sam said.

"You're kidding. You still keep in touch with your college buddies?" Dean asked.

"Why not?" Sam creases his forehead.

"What's wrong with it?" Lyra butted in, taking off the earphones. "I too am in contact with my best friend."

"Well," Dean shrugged. "What exactly do you tell 'em? You know, about where you've been, what you've been doing?" He asked the both of them.

"I tell them I'm on a road trip with my big brother," Sam spoke first. "I tell 'em I needed some time off after Jess."

"She knows about the curse, so I just told her the half-truth. That I'm with you on a road trip but I skipped the whole supernatural craziness," Lyra clarified.

Dean put his hand on top of the car for support and leaned in, facing both of them. "Oh, so you two lie to them."

"No. We just don't tell them everything," Sam protested.

"Yeah, that's correct," Lyra agreed with him.

"Well, that's called lying," Dean said. "I mean, hey, man, I get it, telling the truth is far worse."

"So, what am I supposed to do, just cut everybody out of my life?" Sam asked incredulously. "You're serious?"

"Look, it sucks, but in a job like this, you can't get close to people," Dean replied. "Period."

"You're kind of anti-social, you know that?" Sam commented.

"Doesn't seem like that when he's around women," Lyra shook her head.

"Yeah, whatever," Dean muttered.

"God…." Sam breathed.

"What?" Dean asked crouching down to the window level.

"In this e-mail from this girl, Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine," Sam started.

"Is she hot?" Dean interrupted.

"Why would it matter? It's time to accept Dean that your womanizing days are over," Lyra reminded him with a smirk. Dean shot her a look but Sam continued the explanation, not sparing him any chance to bicker with her.

"I went to school with her, and her brother, Zack. She says Zack's been charged with murder. He's been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn't do it, but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case."

"Dude, what kind of people are you hanging out with?" Dean tittered.

"No, man, I know Zack. He's no killer," Sam said seriously.

"Well, maybe you know Zack as well as he knows you," Dean remarked.

"They're in St. Louis. We're going," Sam stated.

Dean cackled again, "Look, sorry 'bout your buddy, okay? But this does not sound like our kind of problem."

"It is our problem. They're my friends," Sam insisted.

"St. Louis is four hundred miles behind us, Sam," Dean tried to budge him but he was determined. Sam used his trump card, puppy dog eyes, which always made Dean give in.

"Alright, fine," Dean said sourly and got back in the car.

"You'd have to teach me that, Sam," Lyra leaned forward in her seat. "It'll come in handy sometime. Dean was totally helpless against that look."

"You don't need any. He's already helpless when it comes to you," Sam replied. "I haven't seen him ever say no to you."

"That's because she doesn't demand much, unlike you," Dean interjected.

"Hey Dean, can I drive for a while?" Lyra asked him sweetly.

"No."

"See what I mean?" Lyra turned to Sam. He just chuckled and shook his head.

After several hours of driving they reached St. Louis and Sam directed them to his friend's home.

"This is Rebecca's home," Sam declared once they stopped in front of a suburban house. They got out and went to the door. A girl around Sam's age opened it and she looked surprised to see them there.

"Oh my God, Sam!" She exclaimed.

"Well, if it isn't little Becky," Sam smiled at her.

"You know what you can do with that little Becky crap," she laughed and hugged him.

"I got your e-mail," Sam told her.

"I didn't think that you would come here," she stated.

Dean then stepped forward with his hand extended, "Dean. Older brother." She shook his hand and turned to Lyra.

"Lyra, sister-in-law," she introduced herself and shook Becky's hand. Dean shifted uncomfortably; he didn't like revealing to beautiful girls that he was married.

"Hi," Becky smiled. If the couple seemed a little odd to her then she didn't show.

"We're here to help. Whatever we can do," Sam said.

"Come in," she beckoned and they followed her inside.

"That much info wasn't necessary," Dean whispered to Lyra while they walked behind Sam into the house.

"What? That I'm Sam's sister-in-law?" She didn't wait for a reply and went on, "What's the point in hiding that fact? It's not like it'll change anything."

"There's no point in telling too," Dean argued back. "Why don't you just broadcast it on national television? Newsflash: Dean Winchester is now married. Sorry ladies, you lost the contest without participating."

"They don't give a shit about whom Dean Winchester is married to," she retorted. "And what's the matter with you? There's no need to act all cranky."

Dean huffed and went ahead. "Nice place," he commented and there was no trace of annoyance in his voice.

"It's my parents'," Becky informed. "I was just crashing here for the long weekend when everything happened. I decided to take the semester off. I'm gonna stay until Zack's free."

"Where are your folks?" Sam asked.

"They live in Paris for half the year, so they're on their way home now for the trial," she replied. She took them into the kitchen. "Do you guys want a beer or something?"

Dean smiled and was about to accept when Sam cut him off, "No, thanks." He shot a warning look at Dean. "So, tell us what happened."

"Well, um, Zack came home, and he found Emily tied to a chair," she explained. "And she was beaten up and bloody, and she wasn't breathing. So, he called 911, and the police—they showed up, and they arrested him. But, the thing is, the only way that Zack could've killed Emily is if he was in two places at the same time. The police—they have a video. It's from the security tape from across the street. And it shows Zack coming home at 10:30. Now, Emily was killed just after that, but I swear, he was here with me, having a few beers until at least after midnight." She finished with tears in her eyes. Lyra squeezed her shoulder as a gesture of sympathy. Becky gave her a small smile in return.

"You know, maybe we could see the crime scene," Sam suggested. "Zack's house."

"We could," Dean nodded in agreement.

"Why? I mean, what can you do?" Becky asked.

Sam tilted his head a little, "Well, me and Lyra, not much. But Dean's a cop."

Dean laughed trying to act modest, "Detective, actually." Lyra raised an eyebrow and smiled amusedly.

"Really?" Becky was impressed. Dean nodded in response. "Where?"

"Bisbee, Arizona," Dean replied. "But I'm off-duty now."

"You guys, it's so nice to offer, but I just—I don't know," she was reluctant to accept their offer.

"Beck, look, I know Zack didn't do this," Sam reasoned. "Now, we have to find a way to prove that he's innocent."

"Let us have a look. Maybe it'll turn helpful for you," Lyra added with a smile.

"Okay. I'm gonna go get the keys," she gave in and went to retrieve the keys.

"Oh, yeah, man, you're a real straight shooter with your friends," Dean chuckled.

"And you're the poster guy for honesty," Lyra commented sarcastically.

"At least I don't lie to my friends," Dean said in his defense.

"You don't have any friends," Lyra pointed out with a sardonic laugh.

"Hey, hey guys!" Sam tried to divert their attention from the brewing verbal spat. "Look, Zack, and Becky need our help."

"I just don't think this is our kind of problem," Dean said, averting his eyes from Lyra.

"Two places at once? We've looked into less," Sam reasoned.

"Fine," Dean conceded. "But we're only checking. If we don't find anything, we leave."

Becky returned with the keys and they got in the Impala to get to Zack's house. Becky got in the back with Lyra.

"Aren't you a little young to be married? If you don't mind me asking," Becky asked Lyra with a smile.

Lyra locked eyes with Dean in the rear view mirror and then spoke, "Yeah maybe. But love knows no boundary, does it?" Dean's face instantly turned into a scowl and Sam coughed to hide his amused laugh.

"Yeah, that's true, age doesn't matter. You two make a cute couple by the way," Becky complimented them.

"Thanks," Lyra smiled brightly while Dean muttered something along the lines of 'hugely mistaken and delusional'.

"You sure this is okay?" Becky asked once they reached the crime scene.

"Yeah, I am an officer of the law," Dean lied confidently, getting out of the car.

Upon entering the house Lyra's face twisted in a grimace. Wherever she looked there was blood and the thought that she could handle it seemed like wishful thinking.

"Tell us what else the police said," Sam asked Becky and Lyra mentally thanked him for providing a distraction.

"Well, there's no sign of a break-in. They say that Emily let her attacker in. The lawyers—they're already talking about plea bargain," she looked at the sight in front of her with a tearful gaze. "Oh, God."

"Look, Beck, if Zack didn't do this, it means someone else did. Any idea who?" Sam questioned her.

"No. But there was something, about a week before. Somebody broke in here and stole some clothes—Zack's clothes. The police—they don't think it's anything. I mean, we're not that far from downtown. Sometimes people get robbed," she told him and he walked away after that. Dean and Lyra turned back and went out the front door with Becky behind them to check why someone's pet dog was barking loudly.

Becky commented, "You know that used to be the sweetest dog."

"What happened?" Dean asked.

"He just changed," Becky said.

"Do you remember when he changed?" Dean asked her while Lyra warily looked at the dog.

"I guess around the time of the murder," Becky replied. They went inside to find Sam staring at some photograph and Becky chose to look around on her own.

"So, the neighbor's dog went psycho right around the time Zack's girlfriend was killed," Dean informed him, joining his side.

"Animals can have a sharp sense of the paranormal," Sam said.

"Yeah, maybe Fido saw something," Dean agreed.

"So, you think maybe this _is_ our kind of problem?" Sam asked him with a smirk.

"No. Probably not," Dean replied. "But we should look at the security tape, you know, just to make sure."

Sam and Lyra exchanged amused glances. "Yeah, just to make sure," Lyra scoffed. Dean glared at her but she just laughed in response. Feeling indignant, Dean left to find Becky.

"So, the tape. The security footage—you think maybe your lawyers could get their hands on it, 'cause I just don't have that kind of jurisdiction," Dean asked Becky, sounding authoritative.

"I've already got it," she admitted. "I didn't wanna say something in front of the cop. I stole it off the lawyer's desk. I just had to see it for myself."

"All right then, let's go," Dean said. They drove back to Becky's house in silence.

Becky played the video on her TV. "Here he comes," she pointed at the screen as Zack entered the house.

"22:04, that's just after ten," Dean noted the time. "You said time of death was about 10:30."

"Our lawyers hired some kind of video expert. He says the tape's authentic," she said. "It wasn't tampered with."

"Hey, Beck, can we take those beers now?" Sam asked.

"And I'll take a coke or soda, if that's okay," Lyra said.

"Oh, sure," she smiled and got up.

"Hey! Maybe some sandwiches, too?" Sam smiled sheepishly.

"What do you think this is? Hooters?" Becky chuckled and went to the kitchen.

"I wish," Dean commented.

"Of course you'll wish," Lyra rolled her eyes.

"What's up with you two? You didn't bicker this much before," Sam asked, frustrated with them.

"He started it," Lyra defended.

"And you continued it," Dean retaliated. "It would have been much better if would've you just shut up."

Lyra snorted, "And let you think that you won? Sorry, not gonna happen."

"Knock it off," Sam exclaimed, glaring at them. "Now, check this out," Sam said when he was sure that they were not gonna start again. He rewound the tape and paused when Zack's eyes were in line with the camera. They seemed to glow and were silver in color.

"Well, maybe it's just a camera flare," Dean belittled.

"That's not like any camera flare I've ever seen," Sam said. "You know, a lot of cultures believe that a photograph can catch a glimpse of the soul."

"I thought photographs catch a glimpse of ghosts only," Lyra remarked. "Yeah, well. Ghosts are basically souls, so… never mind."

"You done?" Dean asked in a derisive tone. She huffed and turned away.

"Remember that dog that was freaking out?" Sam spoke up quickly to avoid any more tension. "Maybe he saw this thing. Maybe this is some kind of dark double of Zack's, something that looks like him but isn't him," he put forward.

"Like a Doppelganger," Dean suggested.

"Yeah, it'd sure explain how he was two places at once," Sam said.

After leaving Becky's home, they got a room in a motel and settled for the night. Lyra immediately flopped on the bed and shrugged off her jacket to examine her left arm.

"Hey, what's that?" Dean asked as he noticed the bandage on her upper arm. He sat beside her and took a hold of her arm to take a look at the wound himself.

"Last night, I sliced it with some piece of glass sticking out of the window sill in that diner restroom," she told him.

"And when were you going to tell me this?" he asked, sounding angry. But Lyra could see the worry behind the anger. He was angry because she didn't tell him she was hurt.

"Now?" she replied meekly.

"Just stay here and don't touch it," Dean ordered and went to get the first aid box. He cleaned the wound and poured peroxide on it. Lyra winced and so did he. He applied some antiseptic and gently wrapped the bandage over it.

"There, all done," Dean said. "You're lucky that it wasn't too deep or else I would have to stitch it."

"Thanks," she smiled shyly.

"Next time, if you get even a single scratch you have to tell me, alright?" Dean said sternly, looking right in her eyes. "And try that there's no next time."

"Yeah, okay," she laughed. These little things were what made Dean special. No matter how much they argued, in the end they would make up. Dean's caring and protective attitude would always win over her. And Dean, well he can never stay upset with her for long.

Sam woke them up at 5 am and they groggily went to Zack's house again.

"Alright, so what are we doing here at 5:30 in the morning?" Dean asked, getting out of the car.

"I realized something," Sam answered. "The videotape shows the killer going in, but not coming out."

"So, he came out the back door," Dean deduced.

"Right. So, there should be a trail to follow," Sam stated. "A trail the police would never pursue."

"'Cause they think the killer never left," Dean added. "And they caught your friend Zack inside," he paused. "I still don't know what we're doing here at 5:30 in the morning."

"Yeah Sam, you trying to make a world record of least possible sleep doesn't mean we too have to join you," Lyra said, suppressing a yawn.

"There's no such world record," Dean commented.

"Blood," Sam pointed, ignoring both of them. "Somebody came this way."

"Yeah, but the trail ends. I don't see anything over here," Dean said. Lyra looked at the ground ahead to find nothing. They heard a loud siren and turned to see an ambulance speeding on the road. Without a word they got back in the car and followed it.

On reaching there, they saw some man being coaxed into a police car. He looked like he had no clue about what had happened.

Dean approached a woman standing by. "What happened?"

"He tried to kill his wife," she replied. "Tied her up and beat her."

"Really?" Sam asked, surprised.

"I used to see him going to work in the morning," she said. "He'd wave, say hello. He seemed like such a nice guy."

Sam went to the back of the house to check for any trail while Dean inquired around about the incident. And Lyra, for once, chose to go with Sam instead of Dean. They looked over the whole backyard for clues; well Sam did all the work while Lyra just followed his lead.

"Sorry that I woke you up so early," Sam said to her.

"No worries. It's about your friend, I get it," she replied.

"I just don't want an innocent's life to be ruined," Sam remarked.

"And your friend's involvement gives you stronger reason," Lyra said.

"Yeah, that's right," he paused and asserted, "We'll get him out of this."

"Hey!" Dean called, joining them. "Remember when I said this wasn't our kind of problem?"

"Yes," Sam said at the same time when Lyra taunted, "We have good memory Dean, unlike you."

"Definitely our kind of problem," Dean stated, choosing not to retort on her comment.

"What'd you find out?" Sam asked.

"Well, I just talked to the patrolman who was first on the scene, heard this guy, Alex's story. Apparently the dude was driving home from a business trip when his wife was attacked," Dean told them.

"So, he was two places at once," Sam concluded.

"Exactly. Then he sees himself in the house, police think he's a nut job," Dean laughed slightly.

"Two dark doubles attacking loved ones in exactly the same way," Sam summed up.

"Could be the same thing doing it, too," Dean surmised.

"Shape shifter?" Sam guessed. "Something that can make itself look like anyone?"

"Shape-shifting? That'd be cool if you don't run around murdering people," Lyra commented.

"Every culture in the world has shape shifter lore," Dean remarked. "You know legends of creatures who can transform themselves into animals or other men."

"Right, skin walkers, werewolves," Sam named some.

"We've got two attacks within blocks of each other. I'm guessing we've got a shape shifter prowling the neighborhood," Dean voiced his thoughts.

"I picked up a trail here," Sam said. "Someone ran out the back of this building and headed off this way."

"Just like your friend's house," Dean pointed out.

"Yeah, and just like at Zack's house, the trail suddenly ends. I mean, whatever it is just disappeared," Sam stated, bewildered by the thing's disappearance.

"Well, if he didn't go ahead and he surely didn't go back; that leaves he either went up or…" Lyra trailed off, staring at the manhole beneath them.

"He went down," Dean finished. Sam and Dean opened the lid covering it and flashed their lights into it. "Come on," he said.

"You are buying me new clothes," Lyra warned him and went after Sam. She didn't want to go in the stinky sewer tunnel but duty calls.

"I bet this runs right by Zack's house, too" Sam remarked as they walked deeper. "The shape shifter could be using the sewer system to get around."

"I think you're right. Look at this," Dean said and bent down beside some pile of what looked like skin and maybe blood.

"Ew, that's gross," Lyra scrunched up her nose in pure disgust.

"Is this from his victims?" Sam asked.

Dean picked up some of that stuff on the tip of his knife. "You know, I just had a sick thought. When the shape shifter changes shape—maybe it sheds."

"That is sick," Sam grimaced. "Maybe we should go back for the guns," he suggested and the other two readily agreed.

"Well, one thing I learned from Dad is, that no matter what kind of shape-shifter it is, there's one sure way to kill it," Dean said as he searched through the trunk to get what they needed.

"Silver bullet to the heart," Sam stated.

"That's right," Dean agreed with a smile. He tossed a gun at Lyra who caught it effortlessly.

"You sure?" she asked with her eyebrows raised.

"Don't act like you haven't used one before," he said and took out a gun for himself as Sam's phone rang.

"This is Sam," he said. "We're near Zack's, we're just checking' some things out," he paused and his face fell. "What are you talking about? Why would you do that? Beck—we're trying to help. Beck, I'm sorry, but—" he sighed and put his phone down. Becky had surely hung up on him.

"I hate to say it, but that's exactly what I'm talking about," Dean turned to him. "You lie to your friends because if they knew the real you, they'd be freaked. It's just… it'd be easier if-"

"If I was like you," Sam finished for him.

"Hey, man, like it or not, we are not like other people," Dean reasoned. "But I'll tell you one thing. This whole gig—it ain't without perks." He handed a gun to Sam, who just shoved it in his pant without much thought.

"You think gun is a perk of this job?" Lyra asked with an amused smile.

"Oh, yeah, it's totally badass," Dean smirked and they were off to kill that shape-shifting bastard.


	13. Skin 2

**A/N: I'm really sorry guys. I know I make promises but never keep them. It's just… something popped up and I didn't get a chance to write. Thanks for the awesome reviews. Now on with the story.**

Lyra stayed close to Dean when they got back in the sewer. She felt safe with him. She knew for a fact that Dean would never let anything happen to her. He would rather die than let anything touch even a hair on her. But his death wouldn't help her, would it?

Dean stopped walking abruptly causing Lyra to bump in him. "I think we're close to its lair," he asserted. Lyra moved to his side and looked around the large room or compartment of sorts. There were pipes running from the ceiling to the ground and the room looked a mess. She swept the whole room with her flashlight to find clothes and other random articles spread all over.

"Why do you say that?" Sam asked him. Lyra looked at him wondering when he became this unobservant.

"Because there's another puke-inducing pile next to your face," Dean told him, illuminating the disgusting skin with his light.

Sam turned and scrunched up his face in disgust, "Oh God!"

"Looks like it has lived here for a while," he gestured to the pile of clothes.

"Who knows how many murders he's gotten away with?" Sam wondered out loud and turned towards them. "Look out!" he shouted with wide eyes.

Lyra and Dean both simultaneously turned around and Dean pushed her behind him in the process. They came face to face with the shape-shifter who was guised as the man who got arrested early that day. It punched Dean in the face which caused him to stumble back and knock into Lyra. The blow sent them to the ground. Lyra landed on her back with a loud thud with Dean on top of her. She grunted in pain and Dean quickly rolled off of her. She tried to swallow the pain which was radiating from her back but it was easier said than done. The surface she landed on was rough and hard; and Dean's weight made it even worse.

"Are you alright?" Dean asked frantically, taking her hand in his own. She opened her eyes and nodded in response. She stood up with his help, all the while grimacing at the pain in her back. Dean saw the look on her face and he couldn't help but blame himself.

"It's not your fault," she said as if she read his mind. But she knew the functioning of his mind very well. She'd been around him long enough to know him properly. Even though he wouldn't express his emotions, if you know him, he's an open book to read. "If you wanna blame someone, blame that shape-shifting bastard."

"Get the son of a bitch!" he yelled at Sam, fueled by Lyra's words to make it pay for what it had done. Not even a minute had passed since it took off, so they had some chance to catch it. They ran till they reached the hole they had entered through.

"Alright, let's split up," Sam suggested once they were outside.

"Alright, we'll meet you around the other side," Dean said. He grabbed Lyra's hand and took off in the direction he had chosen. They looked around anxiously; Dean had his gun out and people were giving them scared looks. They searched for it a little more and then returned to where they were supposed to meet Sam. But Sam wasn't there so they waited for him to get back.

"You sure alright?" Dean asked Lyra. He had noticed the way she'd grimace with every single step. He knew that her back was hurting like a bitch. She was even standing awkwardly as though it was difficult for her to do that much.

"Yeah, I'm alright. It's aching badly but I'll live," she replied with a small smile.

"I'll get you pain meds when we get back to the motel," he told her. He was impressed with her brave front. He'll never admit that he's in pain but Lyra had no problem in accepting that she's hurt. But she'll never whine about it. She'd suck it up like him and keep going on. This was what Dean respected about her.

"Hey, anything?" Sam asked coming behind them.

"Nothing," Dean answered turning around. "You?"

"Couldn't find a single trace," Sam shrugged.

"Damn it! The son of a bitch got away," Dean said angrily. "What now genius?"

"We need a plan. Now that we know its lair, I don't think it'll go back there," Sam said with some uncertainty, as though he wasn't sure what he wanted to say. "I say we head back and take care of her injuries first," he motioned to Lyra and smiled. She hesitantly smiled back but something about Sam made her uncomfortable. His smile and tone held a sinister edge.

"All right, let's get back to the car," Dean agreed and he crossed the street with Lyra by his side. Lyra glanced at Sam who was behind them and her eyes widened.

"I think I saw something," she whispered to Dean.

"Saw what?" he whispered back.

"There's something wrong with Sam. I think his eyes flashed silver," she explained.

"You sure?" he asked her with questioning eyes.

"I don't know. It was just momentary," she answered. Dean nodded and they walked to the Impala in silence with Sam not far behind.

"Hey, didn't Dad once face a shape shifter in San Antonio?" Dean asked Sam once they were near the car.

"Oh, that was Austin," Sam replied. "It turned out not to be a shape shifter, it was a thought form. A psychic projection, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Dean smiled and shared a look with Lyra. She was still suspicious of his true identity so Dean tried another test. He deliberately dropped his silver knife on the ground and walked to the back of the car. Lyra understood what he was doing so she followed him without a pause. He reached a hand inside his jacket and acted like he was shocked, "Oh. My knife. I think I dropped it somewhere."

Lyra looked around her first and then exclaimed, "There." She was pointing to the knife which lay on the ground, not far from the car's front. "Sam, can you get that?" she requested him. He was standing at the passenger side of the car.

"Sure," he complied and walked around the front to pick up the knife, careful not to touch any silvery part. He walked over to them and handed it back to Dean.

"Thanks," Dean said, somewhat bitterly. Sam smiled and turned around. Lyra automatically moved closer to Dean and when Sam was a safe distance away, Dean pointed his gun at the shape-shifter Sam. "Don't move!" he said. "Where's Sam?"

The shape-shifter turned around slowly, "I'm standing right here, Dean."

"No, you're not him," Dean shook his head. "Where's my brother?"

"We don't have time for trust issues, Dean," the shape-shifter sighed, taking a step in their direction.

"Stay back," Dean warned, taking a step back. "I'm asking you one last time. What did you do to Sammy?"

"Why don't you just pull the trigger?" It asked taking another step forward. Dean hesitated. He wasn't sure he could kill this thing without being absolutely positive that it was the shape-shifter. What if it was really Sam?

"You didn't touch the silver on the knife," Dean stated.

"Give it to me. I'll slice my arm in front of you," it said, stretching its hand towards them. Dean's resolve wavered and that was enough for the shape-shifter. It quickly snatched the gun out of Dean's hand and hit him with the gun's butt. He fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Dean!" Lyra screamed and moved forward but then quickly backed away. The shape-shifter lunged at her but she ducked and picked up the silver knife from beside Dean. It bent over her, trying to get her in a choke hold but she slashed its arm and turned around to plunge the knife into its heart, only to be met with a sharp blow to the face. She lost her balance and fell.

"Bitch," the shape-shifter spat and hit her head to send her into oblivion.

Sam woke up in some dirty looking room and groaned. He tried to move his hands but they were tied to some wooden post behind him. He opened his eyes and saw Dean standing in front of him.

"Oh, thank God, Dean," Sam sighed with relief. "I don't know when it got me." Sam looked at him expectantly but Dean made no move to untie him. "You're not Dean," Sam stated. He knew Dean would never wait this long to untie him.

"College boy isn't dumb after all," the shape-shifter smirked.

"Where is he? Where are Dean and Lyra?" Sam questioned, sweeping the whole room with his gaze. He found Dean, who was still out, a little away from him, on his left. Lyra was tied up opposite to Dean, on his right. And she too was still unconscious.

"I wouldn't worry about them," it said, jerking Sam's head up. "I'd worry about you."

"I swear I'm gonna kill you," Sam stared in its eyes, being defiant.

"I don't think so," the shape-shifter laughed. "I swear, the more I learn about you and your family—I thought I came from a bad background."

"What do you mean, learn?" Sam asked with confusion written all over his face. Instead of answering the Dean look alike grabbed its head, closing his eyes in what Sam prayed would be pain, because it deserved to be in agony.

"He's sure got issues with you. You got to go to college. He had to stay home," it paused and shook its head. "I mean, I had to stay home; with Dad. You don't think I had dreams of my own? But Dad needed me. Where the hell were you?"

"Don't talk as if you're my brother," Sam warned in a menacing tone.

"I am your brother," it insisted and leaned in closer to Sam. "See, deep down, I'm just jealous. You got friends. You could have a life. Me? I know I'm a freak. And sooner or later, everybody's gonna leave me."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked irritated.

"You left," it answered, straightening up. "Hell, I did everything Dad asked me to, and he ditched me, too. No explanation, nothing, just poof. Left me with your sorry ass. But still, this life? It's not without its perks," the shape-shifter let out a short laugh. "I meet the nicest people-" It paused, turning its head to look at Lyra. "Like my wife Lyra here." It walked over to her and ran a finger across her cheek.

The slight tickling feeling woke her up and she blinked her eyes to adjust to the dim light. The shape-shifter grinned at her and she smiled back, "Dean…." She tried to move her hands but they were tied just like Sam's. "What?" she looked up at who she supposed was Dean.

"Just a little provision," it said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. She leaned away from his touch, knowing full well now, that it wasn't actually Dean.

"Don't touch me," she snarled, glowering at him.

"Now, now, kitten, don't be that way," it teased with a leery smile. "After all, I'm your lawfully wedded husband."

"The hell you are," she spat. "_Dean_ is my husband, and you're not him, you filthy piece of shit."

"Ooh, fiery," it smirked. "You know, that's what he likes about you. The spirit you have. And he'll never admit but he cares about you. A lot. Maybe even more than he cares about his brother." It turned to look at Sam, "No need to be jealous Sammy. I still love you."

"I'll make sure you rot in hell," Sam replied but the shifter ignored him and turned back to Lyra.

It leaned closer to her face and dropped its voice to a seductive tone, "I'd love to have some alone time with a beautiful thing like you-"

"I'm not a thing, you bastard," she cut in.

"Sure you aren't," it chuckled. "As I was saying, too bad that I can't separate you from him; otherwise we would have a pleasurable night alone somewhere."

"Yeah, where I rip you to shreds and toast your evil ass in an oven," Lyra shot back.

"Wild… I like it," the shifter remarked. "I can at least have a part of you if not the whole package. Then I can have my fun with little Becky." It leaned in to kiss her greedily but a shout stopped him.

"Hey, you son of a bitch," real Dean yelled, shrugging off the ropes, which he had silently cut while the shifter was teasing Lyra. Every second was torture for him when he had to stay silent and do nothing to get that asshole off of her. But he had managed somehow.

"Get away from her." With that, Dean lunged at the shape-shifter who quickly ran to the exit, making sure to lock the place behind it. Dean was just a few seconds late. Frustrated, he kicked the closed door. He then walked over to Lyra, "You alright? Did it hurt you?"

"How do you think I would be when that jackass hit my head and then knocked me to the ground on my already aching back?" Lyra snapped. Dean freed his hands and she stood up with a wince. "I'm sorry, it's just… it hurts like hell."

"I know. I'm sorry," Dean said, stroking the bruise on her cheek with his thumb.

"When will you stop blaming yourself for everything, huh?" she asked with a disappointed sigh.

"If you two are done with your reunion, can I get a little help here?" Sam asked with his bitch face. Dean gave him an annoyed look but helped him nonetheless.

"He went to Rebecca's, looking like you," Sam reminded him.

"Well, he's not stupid," Dean commented. "He picked the handsome one to walk around."

"And he didn't just look like you, he _was_ you," Sam asserted. "Or he was becoming you."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked moving to stand with Lyra.

"I don't know it was like he was downloading your thoughts and memories," Sam explained.

"You mean, like the Vulcan mind meld?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, something like that," Sam nodded. "I mean maybe that's why he doesn't just kill us."

"Maybe he needs to keep us alive," Dean guessed. "Psychic connection."

"Come on, we gotta find a way out. He's probably at Rebecca's already," Sam said, looking for an exit other than the closed door. They all split up to search faster.

"There," Lyra pointed to a ventilating window. "I think that will do." Dean and Sam forced it open with little difficulty. Dean went out first, followed by Lyra and then Sam. They ended up in an alleyway.

"Come on," Sam urged. "We gotta find a phone, call the police."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean stopped him. "You're gonna put an APB out on me?" He looked incredulous and somewhat hurt.

"Sorry," Sam shrugged.

"This way," Dean motioned and they took off running. They found a payphone and Sam informed the police about the attack on Becky at her home. Around half an hour later it got media coverage. The trio stood in front of a store watching the news.

"An anonymous tip led police to a home in the Central West End, where a SWAT team discovered a local woman bound and gagged. Her attacker, a white male, approximately twenty-four to thirty years of age, was discovered hiding in her home," a reporter said and a sketch of Dean was shown on the screen.

"Man! That's not even a good picture," Dean scoffed.

"It's good enough," Sam said watching out for suspecting people.

"Great! I'm the wife of a wanted criminal now," Lyra bit out. Dean scowled at her and grumbled once again, "Man!"

"They said attempted murder. At least we know—" Sam started.

"I didn't kill her," Dean interjected.

"We'll check with Rebecca in the morning, see if she's all right," Sam told them.

"All right, but first I wanna find that handsome devil and kick the holy crap out of him," Dean snarled with determination.

"We have no weapons. No silver bullets," Sam said, stopping abruptly.

"Sam, the guy's walking around with my face, okay? It's a little personal, I wanna find him," Dean reasoned.

"Okay," Sam conceded. "Where do we look?"

"Well, we could start with the sewers," Dean suggested.

"We have no weapons. He stole our guns, we need more," Sam paused to think. "The car?"

"I'm betting he drove over to Rebecca's," Dean said with an annoyed look.

"The news said he fled on foot," Sam stated. "I bet it's still parked there."

"The thought of him driving my car…." Dean trailed off looking upset.

"Alright, come on," Sam started forward.

"It's killing me," Dean finished.

"Grow up, Dean. It's just a car," Lyra laughed and followed after Sam while Dean made a face.

They walked all the way to Becky's house and Dean exclaimed happily when he saw the Impala. "Oh, there she is! Finally, something went right tonight."

A police car pulled up next to the Impala. "Oh, crap," Dean muttered. They turned around to be greeted with another police car. "We're surrounded. This way," Dean turned in the direction of the fence.

"You two go," Sam said. "I'll hold 'em off."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked incredulously. "They'll catch you."

"Look, they can't hold me. Just go, keep out of sight. Meet me at Rebecca's," Sam told them and Dean went over the fence with Lyra. "Stay out of the sewers alone," Sam called. "I mean it!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Dean called back and they made their way to their car.

"We got any pain killers in here?" Lyra asked him. Her body was screaming for her to take a break. All the exertion of the hunt was catching up to her.

"I'm afraid not," Dean replied with a sad look. He wanted to help ease her pain but there was nothing he could do right now.

"It's alright," Lyra said and leaned against the car while Dean rummaged through the trunk.

"I'm sorry, Sam. But you know me—I just can't wait," he muttered. "You up for some kickass hunt?" he asked her, offering her a gun.

"Anytime for that bastard," Lyra growled and took the gun from him.

They enter the sewer from the nearest manhole and searched around until they came to a chamber filled with candles and chains. A small noise alerted to someone else's presence. They spot a large figure covered with a sheet in the corner. They quietly walk to it and Dean pulls off the covering to reveal the person beneath. "Rebecca?"

They wasted no time in untying her. "What happened?" Dean asked her.

She started crying, "I was walking home, and everything just went white. Someone hit me over the head, and I wound up here just in time to see that thing turn into me." She paused to take a breath and Lyra placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I don't know. How is that even possible?"

"It's alright. We've got you," Lyra soothed her. "It's okay. You're safe now." They both helped her stand.

"Come on. Can you walk?" Dean asked and she nodded in reply. He put an arm around her waist to help her walk. "Okay, we've gotta hurry. Sam went to see you," he told her urgently.

They ran out of the sewer and then took off to Becky's house. When they got there, they could hear the commotion going on inside and see shadows moving. Sam and the shape-shifter, who was in Dean's guise, were fighting.

"Hey!" Dean yelled and kicked the door open to find the shape-shifter trying to choke Sam on the ground. The shifter got up and turned to them with an evil smirk but Dean quickly shot him twice in the heart.

"Sam!" Becky exclaimed and rushed to his side.

Dean walked over to the dead body of the shape-shifter and snatched his necklace from it. Lyra smiled at him and let out a relieved sigh. He got back to her and she leaned against him, placing her head on his chest, exhausted by the action packed day. Dean smiled and put his arms around her, for once letting his soft side control him.

"Come on, let's get you a bed to rest," he whispered and led her outside to the Impala, leaving Sam and Becky at their own to explain to the police what had happened.

The next morning Dean and Lyra waited outside Becky's house for Sam to bid a goodbye to her. Becky waved them a goodbye and they returned the gesture.

"So, what about your friend, Zack?" Dean asked when Sam reached them.

"Cops are blaming this Dean Winchester guy for Emily's murder. They found the murder weapon in the guy's lair, Zack's clothes stained with her blood. Now they're thinking maybe the surveillance tape _was _tampered with," he smiled. "Yeah, Beck says Zack will be released soon."

Dean rolled his eyes and Lyra gave him a disapproving look. "That's really nice Sam," Lyra said.

"It's nice that you're officially a widow of a murderer?" Dean asked with a smirk.

"It'd be better than living with you," she retorted and got in the car.

They drove in silence for a while but then Dean spoke up, "Sorry man."

"About what?" Sam asked.

"I really wish things could be different, you know?" Dean sighed, looking at him. "I wish you could just be….Joe College."

"No, that's okay," Sam replied. "You know, the truth is, even at Stanford, deep down, I never really fit in."

"Well, that's 'cause you're a freak," Dean commented.

"Yeah, thanks," Sam scoffed and turned to look out the window.

"Well, I'm a freak, too. I'm right there with ya, all the way," Dean assured him with a pat on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know you are," Sam said.

"And I'm with you guys too," Lyra piped in.

"Who can get rid of you?" Dean remarked and got a huff in reply.

"You know, I gotta say—I'm sorry I'm gonna miss it," Dean said after a while.

"Miss what?" Sam looked at him.

"How many chances am I gonna have to see my own funeral?" Dean smirked.

**A/N: Next chapter might be an original one, regarding how Dean and Lyra got married. Please spare a moment to leave a review. I'd really appreciate your efforts. See you all soon.**


	14. What happened in Vegas Part 1

**A/N: Hello everyone! Here's the original chapter as promised. Sorry if it's a little late. Hope you enjoy!**

Dean woke up at around 2 am to find the other side of the bed empty. Sam was sleeping for once on his bed, looking peaceful. Maybe his nightmare hasn't started yet. Dean averted his gaze from his brother to look around the room for Lyra. She wasn't in the room. He got up from the bed and went over to the bathroom to check there but it was empty. Dean furrowed his brows and peeked in the small kitchenette of their motel room but Lyra was nowhere to be found. He picked up his loaded gun and went out to search of her. He didn't want to wake Sam up so he decided that he'd look around the parking lot and if he couldn't find her there, then he'd take Sam with him.

Dean walked to the door to find that it was ajar. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion and cautiously stepped out, closing the door behind him silently. He had already picked up the keys so he didn't need to worry about disturbing Sam's sleep to get in. Once outside, he scanned the whole lot but it was empty as was expected at this time of the night. His eyes lingered around the Impala as that was the most probable place Lyra could be found, if she had gone out on her own. 'If' being the highlight here. 'What if she has been taken by someone or something? God knows how long she has been gone,' he thought warily. Shaking his head to clear the despairing thoughts, he concentrated at the task. He couldn't see anyone in or outside the car but he swore that he saw something move behind the trunk of his car, out of the corner of his eye. Shrugging it off as a trick of his anxious mind, he turned around and swept the motel building with an experienced sight of a hunter.

Dean's mind became alert when he felt rather than heard someone behind him. "Dean?" a voice called uncertainly. He could never mistake it. It was Lyra's. He whipped around instantly, gun raised and when his eyes set upon her, he sighed in relief, setting the gun down.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, pocketing the Impala keys.

"Looking for your missing ass," he replied harshly.

"When did I go missing?" she asked innocently, playing dumb.

"What the hell were you thinking Lyra?" Dean bellowed. His anger had got the best of him, or was it worry?

"Jeez, relax. I was just retrieving the first aid kit from the trunk," she answered him calmly.

"Have you lost your mind?" he shouted. "It's freaking 2 in the night. Don't you think it would have been wise to wake me up before you decided to take a nocturnal walk?"

"I ran out of pain meds. That's why I came out to get this," she held up the first aid box in her hands.

"Why can't you act like a grown up for once? Sam was a lot easier to handle at 4 years than you at 18," he remarked. That comment was all it took for Lyra to lose her cool composure.

"Well I'm sorry that I don't want to depend on you for every little thing," she snapped. "Isn't it enough for you that you are the one controlling my life? And now you want me to take your permission for even breathing? You have my strings in your hands; one snap and I'm finished. So, sue me if I want some independence and do things on my own without you around." She ended her rant with a huff and crossed her arms across her chest.

Dean sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them with a small smile and spoke softly, "Look, I know it's hard to let your life rest in someone else's hands but I'm not controlling you in any way. You are the most independent one can ever be in a shitty situation like this." She looked up at him questioningly and he nodded to confirm that she had heard right. Now that he had eye contact with her, he continued, "I'm not stopping you from doing things on your own. All I ask of you is to inform me where you are. That way, if God forbid something was to happen in that short duration, I'll know where to find you. The risk is high here. And your life is more vulnerable than mine or Sam's. Only you can ensure your own safety. And I know I do a sucky job at keeping you alive; you've been strangled, you've almost choked to death, and you almost died in a plane crash. You deserve a better life than this sorry excuse."

"Yeah, you're right. This life is crap," she said. "I'm in ten times more danger than my mom was, but I like it nonetheless. Something is better than nothing, right? I'm that kind of person who loves loneliness but is afraid to be left alone." She frowned and muttered, "That didn't make any sense." Dean chuckled at her and shook his head fondly. She cleared her throat to continue, "As I was saying, what makes this life bearable is that I know I have someone who cares for me." She pinned him with an unwavering look and her eyes screamed her gratitude towards him.

Dean shifted uncomfortably under her intense gaze and quickly changed the topic, "It's cold out here. Let's head inside." She smiled at him and he gestured for her to go first.

Once inside, Lyra immediately sat on the bed and closed her eyes. Dean noticed her exhausted state and suddenly realized what she had said outside. She had gone out to get pain meds but why, was the question.

"Why'd you need pain meds at this hour? Are you hurt?" he asked and quickly looked her over for any injuries, taking a seat beside her.

"No Dean, I'm not hurt," she replied with a small smile but it was strained. Dean noticed that she was clutching the bed sheet in her fist a little too tightly.

"Why are you clutching the sheets?" he questioned, motioning to her hands.

"To keep the pain from showing on my face," she answered simply.

"What pain?" he asked getting a little irritated by her incomplete answers.

"I'm having cramps Dean," she said and then added sarcastically, "One of the perks of being a girl."

Dean's eyes widened in mortification and he, not so discreetly, leaned away from her. He wasn't used to dealing with this kind of stuff. Truth be told, he had never heard a girl or woman talk about this. Hell, he had even bunked the class when they were teaching about this stuff. So yeah, his reaction was not surprising.

"You're acting as if I told you I'm pregnant with your child," Lyra taunted with a roll of her eyes. Dean's eyes widened even more if that was possible and he full on flushed.

"And you call Sam a prude," she commented when she noticed his state. She shook his head in amusement and took out the pain meds. She then walked over to the glass of water on the bed side table and downed the pills in one gulp. "Good night Dean," she said and got under the covers.

Dean shook himself from whatever daze he was in and followed Lyra's example to get some sleep. He lay on his side and watched Lyra as she curled into a ball. A soft whimper escaped her lips and Dean fought the urge to comfort her.

'What's the harm in comforting her right now?' he thought. 'Sam is not up to witness the exchange and Lyra never teases me about being soft.'

Yes, that was true. Dean had been always somewhat soft with Lyra and she gladly welcomed the touching gestures. And for some unknown reason, he was a little more open around her. She wouldn't force him to share his feelings but he always ended up doing that. If not the whole, he'd at least let her have a glimpse of his emotions. To Dean's relief, she never treated him differently but she also wouldn't pretend like nothing had happened. She'd always manage to do just the right thing.

'But what about the 'no chick flick moment' rule?' another voice reasoned in his head and Dean reconsidered his options. He heard another soft moan from Lyra and that made his decision.

'Screw the rule,' he responded to that opposing voice. 'She could really use a little comfort right now.'

He moved closer to her and wound his right arm around her waist. She gave a startled jolt but then relaxed and lifted her head up to let him put his left arm under it. She settled back with a sigh and clutched his right hand when a sudden wave of pain hit her. He responded by tightening his hold and stroking back her hair by his bent left hand. She turned her head to press it against his strong biceps and waited for the meds to kick in. He rubbed soothing circles on her belly to lull her to sleep; the motion was relaxing to him as well.

When Dean was sure that she was in a deep slumber, he pressed a kiss to her head and carefully slipped his arms back trying not to jostle her too much. He couldn't let Sam see him cuddling to her; it was just against his rules. He lay on his back, still staying closer to her than usual but he can live with that. Lyra turned on her left and he smiled at her peaceful face. 'She looks so young and innocent when she sleeps,' he thought before letting sleep consume him.

The next morning, Sam woke up before them as usual and went to get them coffee and breakfast. Lyra woke up next, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She groaned and went to take a nice warm shower. Hot water was all she could think about to sooth her aching body. When she returned from the bathroom, Dean was sitting up on the bed, with a dumb expression on his face.

"Good morning, sleepy head," she greeted him while drying her hair with the towel.

"Morning. How are you today?" he asked, getting up and stretching his body.

"Slightly better," she replied just when the door opened to reveal Sam holding bags.

"Hey! Morning guys," Sam said with a cheery smile.

"Looks like someone slept well," Dean commented, gathering fresh clothes.

"Yeah, actually I did," he admitted.

"So, no nightmare last night?" Lyra asked him.

"Just one," he replied, setting the bags and cups of coffee on the table. "It was around 5 when I woke up. So yeah, I got some really good sleep last night."

"That's good," Dean remarked and closed the bathroom door behind him.

Minutes passed in comfortable silence as Lyra drank her coffee while Sam searched for some new case on his laptop.

"Thank you Sam," Lyra said, lifting the coffee and doughnut she was eating. Sam smiled at her and shrugged, resuming whatever he was reading on the screen.

"Got anything?" Dean asked Sam as he settled on the small dining chair.

"Not exactly," Sam answered. "But there's something interesting here."

"What kind of interesting?" Lyra questioned. Everyone has their own definition of interesting and Dean's definition was not something she'd want to hear in detail. She wasn't sure about Sam's definition though.

"Annulment cases reach an all time high in Vegas," Sam started reading. "What can be labeled as the strangest case in the history of matrimonial records of Vegas would be the soaring number of annulment applications being filed. For the last 3 months, there has been at least one couple in the courthouse to file for an annulment. It is not new for Las Vegas to have a high number of annulment cases than other cities but what makes this stand out is the regularity of the process. Everyday, you can see a baffled newly married couple outside the court waiting for the filing to get completed. When asked about the reason, one said, "I don't know when or how I got married. It's just a blank, no memory. I just woke up the next day with the marriage certificate. I don't even know the guy I supposedly married." There have been 91 applications since 31st August, enough to leave the authorities wondering."

Dean and Lyra exchanged looks when Sam finished reading the news article. The woman's story highly resembled their own. They were hoping to get some memory back of their drunken night but they never did. And they didn't pay much attention to that fact until now. What if their marriage wasn't just a drunken mistake?

"So what do you say?" Sam asked breaking the heavy silence.

"What's there to say?" Dean countered. "It's just some strange random fact."

"People don't just marry and then file an annulment for fun, Dean," Sam reasoned. "At least not this many."

"What are you implying?" Dean asked. "That we check out what's going on?"

"Why not?" Lyra butted in. "It's not like we have a case right now. And it sounds weird enough."

"What's the point in checking this out?" Dean argued. "No one's getting hurt. I don't see any reason in wasting our money and time." He didn't like the idea of going back to Vegas to find out how they tied the knot. He wanted to forget that little, no scratch that, big fact of his life. 'Why do they want to research about it? Are they going to write a freaking thesis on it?' he thought sourly.

"We don't save people from just getting hurt," Sam said. "We save them from any kind of supernatural they might encounter and cause them inconvenience."

"That's right," Dean replied. "But I still don't think there's any supernatural element here. So, no need to bother."

"Why are you reluctant to go?" Lyra asked him.

"Why are you so eager to go?" Dean asked back.

"'Cause I want to know and maybe even kill whoever got me married without my consent," she answered honestly.

"Touché," Dean remarked. "If it really wasn't my fault, then I too want to gank whatever son of a bitch did this."

"So, we going?" Sam asked them.

"Oh yeah," Dean said. "Vegas, here we come."

They packed the Impala and settled in for a long ride to Lyra's hometown. After a few hours, Sam asked what was on his mind for so long, "So, how exactly did you two meet?"

"Once upon a time," Dean started and Lyra burst out laughing. He made it sound like their story was some kind of fairy tale while it was actually the opposite in reality.

Sam scowled at him, "I'm serious Dean."

"Alright, so here it goes," Dean said and smirked at Lyra through the mirror.

Flashback:

Lyra entered the bar-cum-restaurant behind a waitress who happened to be her friend. She was more like an acquaintance but desperate times call for desperate measures, right? Lyra wanted entry in the bar and so she had to befriend Christy to get that. Or more like, do her a favor and gain one in return. The place where Christy worked required an ID to enter and that was when she helped Lyra. She convinced the security to let her enter and they didn't argue much. Lyra could have chosen any other bar without such security but she preferred someone she knew to be around if got drunk too much. She was a loner, so you can't expect her to have a large company. Her only best friend was not in the city at that time, so she had to go on her own.

"Well, you enjoy. I'll be around if you need anything," Christy said and excused herself.

Lyra gave the place a once over and chose a table in the far corner to sit. Her heels clicked on the floor but the music drowned any small noise in the packed place. She sat elegantly on the chair, adjusting her dark blue dress around her legs. A waitress came over to take her order, exaggerating her smile. Lyra returned the smile and ordered a beer to start her evening. She didn't drink much but these past months haven't been easy for her without her parents be her side.

Dean watched as the people mingled with each other in the large room of yet another beer and grill. He was in Vegas for a simple salt and burn. John had directed him here because he was busy elsewhere to do this himself. Dean hadn't objected, in fact he wanted a little time away from his dad. It wasn't easy to follow that man around.

He could see girls laughing and moving to the rhythm of the music on the dance floor. A certain blond one had caught his attention and he was tempted to join her there. He won't dance much but he can surely get her to a motel in the shortest time. By the way she was glancing at him, he was sure she was interested too. He winked at her when he caught her eye and she smiled seductively in return. He smirked and turned his head around to pick up his beer when he noticed a pretty brunette sitting by herself. Something about her attracted him; maybe the fact that she was lonely just like him at the moment. He finished his beer with a large gulp and walked over to her table.

Lyra knew that the hot guy was approaching her but she kept her face neutral. No need to give away the fact that she appreciated his looks. He took a seat directly opposite of her and flashed the most charming smile she had ever seen.

"Hey, you don't mind if I sit here, do you?" he asked her sweetly.

She wanted to say yes and make him leave but she couldn't. She instead said, "No, not at all."

"I'm Dean," he introduced, extending his hand forward.

"Lyra," she replied, shaking his hand. She wasn't sure if that man was a good one or not but her sixth sense told her that he was harmless, at least to her.

"So, what is a young girl like you doing in a place like this alone?" he asked gesturing with his hands.

"I think you need a mood to enjoy and not some company," she said, sipping her beer.

"And I think a little strange company makes it even more interesting."

End of flashback

**A/N: So guys, what do you think? I'm writing this like a case so, I'm sorry if I disappointed you. Please review and let me know your opinion. I'll get the next part up soon.**


	15. What happened in Vegas Part 2

**A/N: I don't get much time to write and when I do, I write for you people. Huge thanks to all my reviewers. Snowy702, this couldn't have been perfect without you. Kirabaros, your review inspired me to write this. What you see in the shadows, without your support this was kind of impossible. Meimei Berry, I don't know my own schedule so how can I tell you?**

To say the journey to Vegas was tiring would be an understatement. They were not in a hurry, so they would make pit stops for Lyra's sake. A drive from Missouri to Nevada wasn't a short one. They had stopped somewhere in Colorado for the night and were back on the road in the morning. It was the evening of their second day in the car and to Lyra's relief; they finally passed the welcome sign to the Sin City. Lyra was happy to be there, to be back to a place which held so many memories of her life.

"So, what now chuckles?" Dean asked as he veered the car expertly on the road.

"We call it a day," Lyra answered from the passenger seat. Sam felt that it wasn't fair for him to always be in the front. He wanted to let Lyra have some time with Dean. He had all of a sudden come to realize the fact that they were married. Well, maybe not so suddenly. This particular case had him thinking that his brother was no longer single as he treated him to be. True that Dean and Lyra never exactly behaved like a married couple but the fact remained the same, his brother had a girl to call his wife. And for Sam, they needed as much time as they could get to get down to being more than just good friends. Their marriage might have been a chance of fate but who says they can't get the best out of it? And Sam will see to it. He already felt that he was intruding in their personal lives by tagging along but everyone knows that the brothers can't live without each other. So yeah, he decided to give them as much personal space as was possible with their current lifestyle.

"You already tired kitten?" Dean asked her with a soft look. He wasn't mocking as he might have been with Sam for being such a pansy. He knew very well that Lyra was actually a girl and in the time spent with her, he had come to know the trials and tribulations of a woman. Living with a female had greatly changed his views about the fairer sex. They weren't just some beauty to stare at; he saw them in a new light. A light that demanded respect which he didn't hesitate to show.

"Yeah, you can't deny that it was an exhausting drive," Lyra replied. "Not everyone can be like you lion."

"Why do you call him 'lion'?" Sam asked shifting on the backseat. His huge frame wasn't meant for the backseat but anything for family, right? That's what Lyra had tried to get across him and he understood part of it. He was still seeking revenge but he had decided to focus on other things too.

"Well," she started. Dean was all ears to hear her reason behind that nickname. "He is definitely fierce like one of those predatory beasts, you know, tiger, leopard, jaguar, panther. And as for choosing lion among them, lions are the only ones who stick with their families and so does Dean."

"Quite logical," Sam remarked. Who would put so much thought while choosing a nickname? She could have easily chosen 'tiger', the more popular one, but no, she had to match every trait. Dean smiled at her unintentional display of care in even choosing a nickname for him.

"How about we book a room and settle in for the night?" Dean asked them, already pulling up to a decent looking motel.

"Sounds perfect to me," Lyra replied with a smile. Sam quickly jumped out as soon as the car stopped and stretched his body with a sigh.

"He regrets giving you the passenger seat," Dean said in a hushed tone to Lyra.

"I heard that," Sam commented. "And I don't regret it. I'm just not used to the backseat."

"Then why did you insist on riding in the back?" Lyra asked Sam as she got out. She craned her neck to meet his eyes. She felt so short standing in front of his gigantic body that she wished to wear heels even when she despised them.

"Just for a change," he shrugged. He couldn't reveal his actual reason in front of Dean but he knew that they both had their suspicions.

"Well then, thank you Sam," Lyra said. "I kind of enjoyed the front seat ride." She gave him a knowing look which clearly said that she knew what he was up to. He smiled nervously and after a moment, her face also broke into a smile.

"I'll get us a room," Dean declared and made his way to the office, leaving the two behind.

Lyra waited for Dean to get out of hearing range and then turned to Sam, "You playing matchmaker now?" She had an eyebrow raised and with her hands on her hip, she looked like someone he should be afraid of.

"I uh… I wasn't… just," Sam stuttered. The 'kid caught stealing cookie' look on his face was all it took for Lyra to lose her stern composure and burst out laughing. "I wasn't playing matchmaker," he clarified quickly.

"How can you? We are already a match," Lyra said after taking a deep breath.

"Then why'd you ask?" he put on his bitch face for effect.

"To mess with you," she replied with an amused smile. "And I know exactly what you're thinking. And for that, I thank you."

"So, you like him," he said it more as a statement than as a question.

"Think about it Sam," she responded after a second with a calm voice. She wasn't thrown off-guard as he expected her to be. "He is my husband whether anyone likes it or not. And not just a normal one that I can leave behind if I want. I can either try to get somewhere with this or I can just live the rest of my life wishing I had never married." She paused and turned to face him. "I'm not saying I already am in love with him, but I do like him a lot. And if things went the way they are now, then I'd surely love him one day; sooner rather than later."

Sam appreciated her frankness with him. Dean never really expressed his feelings but Lyra wore her heart on her sleeve. Sam smiled and asked her what he dreaded the most for her, "And what if he doesn't reciprocate your love?"

"You think I'm that unworthy?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"No, no. I was just pointing out a possibility which is one in a million," he explained.

"I know," she smiled. "I actually believe that true love can never go unanswered. I'm confident that Dean will love me back one day. I just have to wait and I'm willing to wait even forever."

"You won't have to wait much longer," he assured. "He's already warming up to you. I've never seen him like this with anyone but me. And that shape-shifter might have been right when he said that Dean likes you more than me."

"Pull that nonsense out of your head," she chided. "Didn't you hear what he said after that? Dean still loves you Sam and he always will. No one can replace you, and I'm just filling a place which was empty all along."

"I guess you're right," Sam agreed with a shrug and shifted his gaze to his brother who was walking out of the office towards them. He mentally laughed at himself for being so silly. Of course he will always be Sammy to Dean, his little brother, who needs him every step of the way.

They were now in their room, just relaxing on the bed or the couch. They all had taken a hot shower to sooth the stiffness in their muscles. It was time for dinner.

"I'm hungry," Lyra declared from her spot on one of the beds.

"And I need a beer," Dean added from the couch, switching the TV off.

"There's a bar and grill nearby," Lyra informed. She knew that city like the back of her hand. Well, maybe not the whole but she did have a good idea of it. "The one where we met."

Dean concentrated for a moment then asked, "The Dreamers bar and grill?"

"Yes," she nodded. "It's not very far from here."

"That reminds me," Sam piped up. "Did you try to remember anything from that night?"

"I tried but there's nothing," Dean replied. "Like the light in that memory room has been turned off."

"Nothing for me either," Lyra said.

"That's strange," Sam remarked, deep in thought.

"Well, we can ask around in that bar if they know anything," Dean suggested.

"Yeah, good idea. Let's go." Sam closed his laptop and got up to don his jacket, Lyra and Dean following suit.

Sam refused the front seat again, sticking by his formal plan to let her have it for at least this case. Lyra watched the passing streets and places in awe. A wave of nostalgia swept over her as the memories merged with reality. She had been in these exact places with her parents and sometimes friends. And before they knew it, they had reached their destination. Dreamers bar and grill.

The security didn't pose any problem this time with the ID as Lyra had many fake ones. Seeing the guards, Lyra remembered the last time she had entered there, she had needed the help of Christy. Thinking about her made her wonder whether she still worked there or not. Lyra preferred the latter as Christy was not someone you'd like to see again; especially with two hot men by your side and obviously if you were a girl.

The place was packed with people and the smell of alcohol was strong. Music was blaring loudly from the speakers, tempting the people to get up and dance. Dean and Lyra couldn't find much difference from their last visit to this place. Well, all places like this looked the same.

"Lyra?" someone called from the trio's left. They turned around to find Christy standing there with a smirk plastered on her heavily made up face. Lyra groaned in dismay but smiled nonetheless at her.

"What are you doing here?" Christy asked in that annoyingly high pitched voice of her.

Lyra rolled her eyes at the stupid question. 'What do people come for in a bar and grill? Surely they don't ask for Christmas decorations for their houses,' she thought but instead replied, "We were just passing and thought we'd stop for a drink."

"That's good," Christy remarked but they all knew where it was directed. She was clearly ogling the brothers and Sam seemed to have caught her interest. Lyra silently thanked whatever force that controlled her life that Christy had left Dean alone.

"Can you direct us to a table, a little far from the crowd?" Sam asked her to divert her mind from whatever fantasies it was building.

"Sure handsome," she replied in what she thought was a seductive tone, but in reality it was grating.

She led them to a table in the farthest corner, all the while trying to literally throw herself on Sam. Dean was having a hard time containing his laughter while Lyra was feeling bad for Sam. That man never craved for attention, it was unwanted for him.

"What would you like?" she asked, taking out a writing pad and pen. Her eyes never left Sam and he hated every moment of that.

"Three beers?" Sam said uncertainly, his eyes asking for the others' nod of approval which he got.

"Anything else?" she asked with a sultry smile.

"Yeah, he'd surely like your number," Dean replied with a smirk. Sam looked at him like he was going to shoot him or himself on the spot. Lyra shook his head at his antics while Christy laughed and winked at Sam.

The moment she was gone Sam spoke up, "Dude, you're crazy."

"And you reached to this conclusion now?" Lyra raised an eyebrow. Dean wisely chose to let her comment slide.

"You need to get some fun Sammy," he said. "Loosen up a bit."

"I'm fine as I am," Sam grumbled and changed the topic. "Whom do we ask about the case first?"

"Christy was the one who was there that time. She even followed us out. I'll start with her," Dean answered and that pushed Lyra down the memory lane.

Flashback:

"I think you need a mood to enjoy and not some company," Lyra said, sipping her beer.

"And I think a little strange company makes it even more interesting," Dean replied cockily.

She raised an eyebrow at him and smiled amusedly, "Touché."

"The night is beautiful," he remarked, gesturing to the people around them. "It doesn't sit right with me to leave you at your expense."

"That's too kind of you Dean," she responded. "But I think I can manage just well on my own."

"Well, maybe then, I don't want to be alone when a pretty alternative is right in front of me," he said leaning closer to her.

"Too bad that I don't want to spoil my night, otherwise I could have taken you on that offer," she answered smartly with a wink.

Dean couldn't believe his ears. This girl had rejected him and not just rejected, she full on insulted him. He sat in stunned silence for a moment but then regained his smartass stance. He had to retaliate but all smartness seemed to escape him.

Just then a blond waitress sashayed her way over to their table. Her eyes were glued to Dean. He noticed her coming and so he turned on his charms. She didn't disappoint him like Lyra; she smiled back appreciatively in return.

"Hey honey. You doing alright?" she asked Lyra sweetly but you could easily tell it was fake, if not bitter.

"Yeah Christy, I'm fine," she replied. She knew the bitch wasn't there for her but for the guy she was sitting with.

"And what can I get you?" Christy turned to Dean.

"I can try whisky today," he answered.

"One for me too," Lyra added which got her two sets of raised eyebrows in response. But she didn't care. Who were they to object on her choices? They were not her parents. The thought of her late parents provoked her to drink away all her pain.

"Sure," the waitress replied and walked off.

"You trying to drown memories with the drinking?" Dean asked, noticing the already empty 3 beer bottles.

"Why do you care?" she retorted rudely.

"Just asking," he held up his hands.

"Yes," she admitted after a minute. "Everyone drinks to drown one thing or another. What's your case?"

"I drink for fun," he shrugged.

"No," she shook her head. "You drink to forget the disappointments and frustration of your life."

"How can you tell?" he challenged though he knew she was right.

"You are one of those who suppress their emotions. This," she pointed to his face, "is all a mask."

"You are good at reading people," he remarked and averted his eyes from under her scrutiny.

"It's nothing. You're somewhat like me," she waved a hand in front of him.

Christy served them their drinks but this time, Dean was too focused on the intriguing brunette in front of him to notice her flirting. She walked away with a huff when he wouldn't spare her a glance even.

The two strangers talked and drank in the bar, unaware of the two pair of eyes watching them from the far corner. The surrounding people didn't seem to bother the spying eyes. No one noticed the two figures standing and conversing, while keeping an eye on Dean and Lyra.

"You think they will make a good one?" the female of the two asked.

"I can only hope Trish," the other replied.

"What if they don't?" Trish questioned again.

"At least have a try," he said. "You can never know what the future holds."

"Just like us," she commented sadly. "Why did it have to be us, Rob?"

The man, Robert, put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. "It was God's will. And I don't think it has changed much. We're still together."

The woman smiled up at him and rested her head on his chest. "We're doing the right thing, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are. You don't want a fate like us to befall them, do you?" he asked her softly.

"No, never. But the ones before, they never valued what we gave them," she pointed out.

"This pair seems different. Maybe they will understand our motives," he assured.

"How long will this continue?" she asked. "And don't say 'not much'. We've been doing this for the last 3 weeks with no luck."

"I know it's been long. And I don't know how much more we would have to wait," he told her.

"You aren't even sure if this will work," she stated. "Why can't we do it my way?"

"That's unethical and you know it. How can you think of it again?" he berated.

"Unethical?" she scoffed. "Since when do people like us have morals?"

"I don't associate myself with what we are now. I'm very much the person I was before," Rob said.

"When will you accept that we're no longer what we used to be?" Trish argued. "For God's sake we're…."

End of Flashback

**A/N: Cliffhanger? That's a first for me. I planned this case to get finished in two parts but I can't help it. I'll try my hardest to update ASAP and if things go my way, the update will be out in two days. Please review and tell me your opinion. I'm so grateful for them.**


	16. What happened in Vegas Part 3

**Important: For those who read the last chapter on the day it was updated. There was some confusion about the ending conversation which gave the impression that it was between Dean and Lyra while it was not. It was between the two spies- Rob and Trish. I corrected it as soon as I came to know about it. Sorry for the inconvenience.**

"Christy was the one who was there that time. She even followed us out. I'll start with her," Dean said.

"Why'd she follow you out?" Sam asked, keeping an eye out for Christy.

"Don't know," Dean shrugged. "We were just on our way out when she called to wait. We silently agreed to ignore her and continued ahead but she kept following us. We were almost to the door when," he creased his forehead in concentration. "That's exactly the point after which I don't remember a thing."

"There has to be something," Sam urged. "What is the last thing you remember?"

"The last thing I remember is getting down on one knee and proposing to Lyra to marry me. And when she accepted we ran off to the nearest wedding chapel," Dean replied sarcastically. "That what you wanted to hear?"

Sam made the bitchiest face ever and glared at him, "You know what I mean."

"I already told you genius, the last thing I remember is being near the exit," Dean replied.

"No, I mean, any unusual feeling? Anything out of the ordinary?" Sam questioned him like he had done with so many witnesses or victims.

"I know the drill Sam," Dean answered exasperated by his brother's enquiries when he had already told him everything. "Nothing abnormal to raise alarm."

"I remember something," Lyra butted in. "There was this feeling like someone was whispering to me. It's hazy but with each word it was like my head was getting heavier."

"Whispering to you?" Dean asked. "What was it saying?"

"Can't remember," she replied, rubbing her temples. "God! I need a drink."

And as if answering her prayer, Christy came back with their order. She placed the beers down and slipped a napkin in Sam's front, winking at his incredulous expression. Dean suppressed a chuckle and cleared his throat to get the waitress' attention.

"Hey, uh… Christy," he started. "Do you mind giving us a minute here?"

"What for?" she asked and glanced back to the counter. "My boss won't appreciate it."

"But Sam surely will," he said. "Right Sam?" The man in question threw him an annoyed glare but nodded in response nonetheless.

"Sam, huh?" she asked with another lecherous smile which made Lyra to want to throw up. "What do you want to talk about?" she averted her eyes from Sam to look at Dean rather reluctantly.

"Remember the last time Lyra and I were here?" he asked.

"Yeah, some 2 or 3 months ago," she answered. "Why?"

"Well, Sam won't believe that I left with Lyra," he explained. "So you mind telling him what happened when we were leaving?"

Lyra looked at him disbelievingly and stomped on his foot under the table. Dean jumped a little at the sudden pain and turned his eyes to glare at her questioningly. She huffed and turned away from him with a frown. He made it sound like Lyra had left with him as the other girls he used to pick for the night. And that was not at all the case. He had offered a ride and she had agreed because of lack of other options. Not that she'll go with any man to drop her home but she had trusted Dean somehow.

"Well, I don't remember much but yeah he did leave with her," Christy replied. "I called for them to wait as Lyra had left her purse behind but they didn't hear it." So, at least she was honest and Sam smiled at that. She wasn't a complete bitch after all.

"What happened after that?" Sam urged her to continue.

"I finally caught up but they looked as if they were in some kind of trance," she said.

"Trance?" he pushed again for more.

"Yeah," she nodded. "It's really unexplainable but they weren't quite themselves; like they were the robotic version of themselves. Maybe it was the booze."

"How'd they react when you returned the purse?" he questioned.

"She just took it and smiled a robotic smile," she answered. "And how is this relevant?"

"Nothing," he smiled. "Just proving that they were drunk when they left."

"Alright," she seemed to be satisfied with his excuse. "I'll go before Ken kicks me out." And she quickly walked away but not before winking at Sam and motioning to the napkin she had given him which held her number.

"Robots?" Dean asked incredulously. "Man, I hope I looked badass enough like Terminator."

"Terminators don't go and get married Dean," Lyra commented with a shake of her head.

"So, guys, what do you think?" Sam asked. "I don't think it was possession as the people don't act like robots when they are possessed."

"I don't know," Dean shrugged. "This is getting complicated."

"Hey, why don't we check out the place where we got married," Lyra suggested. "We can even talk to whoever officiated our wedding."

"Sounds like a plan," Sam agreed while Dean scowled. He didn't want to enquire around about his own freaking marriage. But he had come this far, so why not just end it once and for all?

They drove to where Lyra told the wedding chapel was. She had searched where Minister David, the one who performed their wedding rituals, worked and so she knew where they got married. How could she forget the place which took her freedom away? Well, maybe she wasn't completely chained but you have to agree that marriage binds you in many ways and in her case, it was quite huge.

They arrived at 'A special memory wedding chapel' and headed for the entrance. A ceremony was going on and so they quietly waited for it to finish. They approached the minister when they were done and greeted him.

"Minister David?" Lyra asked him.

"Yes," he replied with a tired smile. "How may I help you?"

"We're looking for some answers relating to our wedding which took place over 2 months ago," Dean replied without beating around the bush.

"Over two months ago?" he questioned.

"Yes, 21st September," Lyra answered.

"Very well," he said. "Come with me." He led them to his chamber where he kept all the records. They all seated themselves around the minister's desk.

"September… 21…," the minister muttered while searching through the records. "Ah! Here it is." He opened a page in the file and read their names, "Lyra Auden and Dean Winchester."

"Yes, that's us," Dean nodded.

"We even have a picture of you two," he said and pulled out the photograph. "I must have forgotten to hand it over to you."

Lyra smiled politely and took the photo from his extended hand. She looked at it nervously; completely aware of Dean's eyes looking over her shoulder. Lyra was in the same dark blue dress she had worn that day while Dean was sporting his usual attire of an over-shirt and over worn jeans. Dean had his left arm wrapped around Lyra's waist while she had her left hand on the arm around her waist. Both were smiling widely, though there was something off about it. The pose was perfect to show their wedding bands on their left ring fingers.

Lyra and Dean exchanged looks of surprise, no, shock. The photo was yet another proof that they were married. Whatever wishful thinking, though small, they had in mind was erased. They finally completely grasped the fact that they were married.

"What do you want to know about your marriage?" the minister asked.

"Do you remember anything unusual about that day?" Dean questioned. "Maybe our behavior wasn't normal or something like that?"

"You aren't one of those accidentally married couple, are you?" he asked back. "People have been coming to confirm whether I actually officiated their wedding or not. This whole thing is strange. Why would people marry and then break it off?"

"We are trying to find out the same, Sir," Dean said. "And maybe we're an 'accidentally married couple'."

"Let's see," he replied. "I don't remember much but now that you point it out, yes there was something odd about your behavior. And not just yours, the other couples' too. You showed little emotion which is not something you'll expect from someone who's getting married. You didn't even talk much and seemed to be focused on just one thing, getting married."

The trio looked at each other in confusion. This case was really weird, even for them. They thanked the minister for his time and went back to the motel, trying to solve this mystery. They had no clue as to what was happening here and that frustrated Dean to no end.

The next morning, Sam took them to the courthouse. He thought that if the newspaper article was to be believed, then there would be a couple to file for annulment and they could get information to lead them ahead.

Upon entering, they just stood dumbly in a corner, looking at people as they passed them. Sam looked around in amazement. He wanted to be a lawyer before everything started. If things had gone his way then he would be on his way to a bright career and… Jess wouldn't have died.

"Where do we start?" Dean's voice pulled him out of his thoughts which were bordering on becoming depressing.

"Uh, I don't know," Sam admitted. He had never been to a courthouse before. Sure they'd hold mock trials but he never got a chance to know the actual proceedings of a courthouse. That was something he'd know if he would have worked under a lawyer himself.

"You were going to be a lawyer. You are supposed to know this shit," Dean said.

"You got married yourself, you're supposed to know how it happened," Sam retorted.

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

"Alright, you two," Lyra interjected. "I think I know where to start." She pointed to a woman and a man, standing awkwardly in a corner with another man having a briefcase, who she suspected was their lawyer.

The trio walked over to them and Dean pulled out his fake journalist ID, "Hey! Mind if we ask a few questions?"

"Who are you?" the lawyer raised an eyebrow.

"Journalists," Dean replied confidently. "Writing on the rising annulments case."

"I'm sorry but my clients here," he started but the woman cut him off.

"It's alright Mr. Jackson," she said. "I don't mind a few questions, if it helps in finding what happened."

"Dean Cooper," he introduced. "Lyra Boone and Sam Harding." Both nodded in acknowledgement.

"Nicole Jones," she replied with a smile. "And this is Peter Stowe; the man the certificate says is my husband."

"Hello," he greeted. "Nicole and I are good friends but this marriage is unwanted."

"I see," Dean nodded. "Do you remember anything about the day you married?"

"No. It was the day before yesterday," he answered. "The last thing I remember is walking down the street with her to her home. After that, nothing."

"It's the same for me," Nicole said. "I don't remember anything about when or how I married him; there's no memory of it."

"Did you notice anything unusual or weird about your surrounding before your memory blacked out?" Sam asked.

"No, everything was normal," she replied.

"May we know where you live, so we can search around?" Dean questioned.

"306, 4th street," she answered and Lyra looked at Dean with a smirk. The bar and the wedding chapel were both near the 4th street. In fact, Lyra's ex-home was not far from there and shared the same street.

"How far from your house did the black out took place?" Sam asked.

"Just two houses over," she said.

"Thank you for your time," Sam nodded and they turned around to walk back to their car.

"What were you smirking about?" Dean asked Lyra.

"Maybe the street is the connection," she replied. "The bar, the chapel, her home- all are on the same road."

"So, we finally have something," he deduced. "Let's check around her house and see if we can find something."

They found her house without much trouble and looked for anything that could be considered a clue. They had no idea what they were looking for but they searched nonetheless. And soon, Sam spotted something in the bushes of a house's front lawn. It was ectoplasm.

"But dude, we ruled out possession first thing," Dean complained. "How is this possible?"

"You think anything is impossible around us?" Lyra remarked.

"No kidding," he said. "I don't think it'd be long before we see Spiderman jumping around like a monkey."

"He's named Spiderman and not Monkey-man for a reason Dean," Lyra pointed out.

"Well, maybe the makers mistook," he shrugged. "He sure acts like a monkey though."

"Will you two focus?" Sam interjected and they both turned their heads to look at him. "We know for sure that we're dealing with a ghost. We just need to figure out whose."

"Yeah, and that's your problem," Dean replied. "I'll just torch the sucker's bones when the time comes."

Lyra and Sam shook their heads and followed him to the car. Once they reached their room, Sam started searching for recent deaths. There were no relevant murders or suicides which could explain the marriage thing but a road accident caught his eye.

"Take a look at this," he turned the laptop for them to read from the screen. They were all crowded around the little dining table.

"Accident claims life of two," Dean read the headline. He and Lyra silently read the rest of the article and after a while he looked up, "You think this one is ours?"

"Fits perfectly," Sam said. "The couple was going to get married before they died in that accident on the 4th street."

"It would explain the relevance to the marriages but I can't understand why?" Lyra spoke up.

"Why does it matter?" Dean asked. "We can just salt and burn their bones and case closed. No more ghosts haunting the street to get people married."

"There's a problem," Sam stated. "They were both cremated according to their customs."

"Son of a bitch!" Dean exclaimed. "But there has to be something that holds them here."

"They haunt the street where they died," Sam replied. "I'm sure their blood would still be there somewhere but, it's not possible for us to locate it."

"Then how do we put them to rest?" Lyra wondered out loud.

"We need to find what they're waiting here for," Sam explained. "They aren't marrying people for nothing. They must have an unfulfilled wish."

"Their marriage," she said. "They were going to get married, right? So maybe they want to get married."

"But then, if we go with the possession theory, they had already married numerous times," Dean reasoned. "That should have completed their unfinished business and they would have been gone by now."

"You do have a point," Sam agreed and put a finger on his chin in thought.

"Why don't we ask-" she paused to read their names off the screen. "Robert and Trish themselves?"

"You mean communicate with their spirits?" Sam asked.

"Why not?" she shrugged. "We can't salt and burn them, and we don't know any other way to end this. What do you suggest we do?"

"Maybe you're right," Sam nodded, thinking over the idea. Dean stared at the both of them like they were crazy.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked but when he got only neutral faces in return, he shook his head in disbelief. "You can't be serious about this crap."

"You got any other idea?" Lyra challenged and when he remained silent she added, "Then shut up." Next she asked, "How do we summon a spirit, Sam?"

"With an Ouija board," he smirked, looking at Dean who threw his hands up dramatically.

It was evening and they were sitting in a circle around the table with the Ouija board in center. Dean had refused to take part at first but then Sam's puppy eyes and Lyra's soft plea had won over him. Sam had performed whatever ritual was instructed but there was no sign of any spirit.

"I told you it was not going to help," Dean said. "This is bullshit."

"Will you keep quiet for a minute, Dean?" Lyra scolded.

Sam started chanting the incantation again and that's when a gust of wind blew out the candles around them. The next second they heard a voice, "What happened, Rob?" They all turned in the direction of the voice and found two persons, no, spirits standing by the main door. Their jaws dropped when they recognized them as Robert and Trish. They were expecting the slider on the Ouija board to move but they never expected for the actual spirits to show up like this. The séance had worked after all.

Lyra instinctually moved closer to Dean and he gripped her hand in response. They had secured themselves inside a salt circle but you can never be sure with the paranormal.

"Who are you?" the man asked them.

"Oh, honey," the woman tugged at his arm. "They're the ones we got married a little while ago. Remember?"

He stared at the three and then nodded, "Yes. But why have you summoned us here?"

"Uh, we wanted to talk about something," Sam answered.

"Hey look, they're still married," Trish exclaimed happily, motioning to Dean and Lyra's hands. But then her face saddened and she turned to Robert, "Why aren't we free then? You said this would work."

He looked at her with equally sad expression, "I don't know."

"Hey love birds," Dean called. "Mind explaining what's going on?"

"My name is Robert and-" the man started but Dean cut him off.

"We know who you are Mr. Ghost," he said. "Get to the point. Why are you creating a nuisance for everybody by getting them married to people they don't even know?"

"We want out of this world," the woman replied.

"So you think possessing people will get you out of this world?" Dean asked skeptically. "That'll land you in Hell, even worse than here."

"What? No," Trish protested. "We never possessed anybody."

"Then how'd you make them do what you wanted?" Sam asked.

"We controlled their minds," Robert explained. "We are majors in psychology. We know the working of a human mind and so we used our knowledge to make the people work according to our wishes."

"You're telling me I was hypnotized by a freaking ghost?" Dean grumbled. "That's so not cool."

"You can't hypnotize people," Sam said.

"Yeah, you're just ghosts," Lyra agreed, speaking for the first time.

"It took us a year to get a hang of the whole energy projecting and twisting thing," Trish answered. "And hypnotizing is simpler when you're a spirit."

"Alright, but then why'd you hypnotize them and make them marry?" Lyra asked with confusion etched all over her face. This case was so far the weirdest she had seen.

"We thought it would help us in getting free from this world," Robert replied. "We're lost souls who had unfinished business here. We wanted to get it done with you people's help but it didn't work."

"What do you think would have worked?" Dean asked. "Attending our marriage? Or pretending it was you in our place when the ceremony was going on? Didn't you realize that it was a lost cause when you didn't depart from here after the first couple got married?"

"We thought that it'd take time for it to come into effect but they broke off their marriage the next day. We never got the satisfaction to see them happily married which was our dream for ourselves," Trish explained.

"You didn't tell why you never possessed anybody," Lyra pointed out.

"Because it was unethical," Robert answered. "It was against the person's wishes and we'd never do that to anybody."

Dean let out a laugh, "And you think hypnotizing them isn't unethical? Making them marry someone they don't want to, is not against their wishes?"

"It was safer," Trish argued. "It didn't hurt like possession might have."

"You two are completely insane," Dean remarked with a chuckle. "Sam, you sure they weren't admitted in a mental hospital before they died?"

"We're not crazy," Trish yelled and they heard the mirror in the bathroom shatter. "Try trading places with us."

"Jeez, relax lady," Dean placated. "Just kidding."

"What do we do now?" Lyra spoke to divert their attention to the more pressing matter. "Their plan didn't work; we're the perfect example of their failure."

"You two are happily married?" Robert asked, placing a hand on Trish's shoulder.

"Yeah, well, kind of," Dean answered uneasily.

"We need a way to fulfill their wish," Sam stated. "A way to get them married."

"Ghosts can't marry Sam," Dean reminded him. "Though, this would be so much easier if they did."

"Who says they can't marry?" Lyra piped up.

"What are you trying to say?" Trish asked, getting excited at the prospect of her marriage.

"Well, no one ever tried to marry off ghosts before," Lyra explained. "I think we should give it a try. Maybe it'll work, who knows?"

"Now you sure you're not crazy?" Dean laughed at her.

"She actually has a good point Dean," Sam jumped in her defense.

"Oh God, I live among crazies," he commented.

"There's no harm in trying," Sam said. "You two game?" he asked the two ghosts.

"Always," Robert answered, putting his arm around Trish's waist.

"Alright, I'll officiate it," Sam told them.

And stupid as it was, they still went through the ceremony, changing a few vows to suit their already dead status. Lyra and Dean watched as the whole scene unfolded itself in front of them. The couple didn't exchange rings instead exchanged 'energies' as they called it. When the ritual was complete, all of them noticed a soft glow emitting from the spirits. They looked in amazement as it consumed their whole form and the couple quickly mouthed a thank you before disappearing completely in the light.

The hunters stood fixed on their places, stunned by what they had just witnessed. This was definitely the most screwed up hunt they have ever been on.

"What the hell just happened?" Dean broke the silence.

"They're at peace," Lyra whispered.

"It worked," Sam declared with a cheer and looked at them with a grin.

"But how?" Dean asked.

"Maybe it was about belief," Lyra put forward. "Maybe we had to get them to believe that they were married and that did it. It freed them."

"Their wish was fulfilled in their eyes," Sam added. "That was what they wanted all along and this marriage act gave them just that."

"But then why didn't they bail out of here when they married the first couple with the hope that it'd free them?" Dean questioned.

"You answered yourself Dean," Lyra replied. "They only hoped that it would be so."

"And what made this one special?" he raised an eyebrow.

"They were actually getting married here and not just watching other people get married," she explained. "It actually completed their wish, while their plan didn't do that. Plus, it was the belief that mattered and they believed this time."

"She's right maybe," Sam agreed.

"Whatever be the reason, I'm glad this is over," Dean said. "Now we can get the hell out of here."

"Don't you want to see another Vegas night?" Sam teased. "Last I remember you loved it here."

"Not anymore when crazy ghosts get you married. It's creepy," Dean told them which earned him chuckles. Out of all the things supernatural, he finds a loving and sensible ghost couple creepy. Well, maybe it was. Who knows?

**A/N: I know it was late but when do things go my way? And thanks a lot to everyone who reviewed. Anyway, so people? How was it? Convincing enough? Please let me know your views. And which episode to take next- Hook Man or Home? I'll see you soon with another update. Till then, bye!**


	17. Home 1

**A/N: Hey! I'm back with 'Home'. Majority of the people wanted this, so… I'm sorry for the others. This was very difficult to write and I hope you like it. Please review and tell me how I did. Thanks a lot to all those who reviewed.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Supernatural, so don't sue me.**

Early morning light filtered in the motel room through the curtains. Sam sighed and got up from the bed. After the dream or sort of nightmare, he hadn't gotten much sleep. His mind kept wondering about the screaming woman in that eerily familiar house. But the question was why he was dreaming about her, some woman he had never met.

He looked at his right and saw Dean and Lyra sleeping peacefully. Dean had his arm loosely around her waist, wanting to feel that she was there. Even in his sleep Dean worried about her, he couldn't let her away from him. Dean's mind had long ago grasped the fact that she literally can't live without him. He would laugh when he'd hear such line in some cheesy romantic movie, saying it was the stupidest thing ever but now? Now he understood what it could actually mean to someone. Sam shook his head at the irony of his brother's case.

He checked the time, 6:15 am. It was still early to wake them up, so he decided to shower. The warm water freshened him up and whatever sleep was left in his body was washed away. He took his time in dressing, wishing time to go faster but when has time listened to anybody? Sam checked the time again, 7 O'clock. He couldn't wait any longer; he picked up a pillow from his bed and threw it at Dean, hitting the target precisely in the face without disturbing the other occupant of the bed.

Dean lazily pulled the annoying pillow away from his face and opened his eyes blearily to glare at whoever ruined his beauty sleep. He saw Sam standing by the table, donning his jacket.

"I'm going to get breakfast," Sam told him, deciding against taking the car as he needed time to think and he could surely use a little morning walk.

"Then why'd you wake me?" Dean asked, rubbing his eyes. There was no point in going back to sleep as his brother would again wake him up when he returns not long after.

"It's 7," Sam answered simply and went out the door, closing it behind him.

Dean stared at the door for a few moments wondering what's up with his little brother. He shrugged, concluding it was yet another nightmare which was bothering him a little too much. He drew back the covers, setting his feet down on the cold floor. He turned back to wake Lyra up but her blissful face stopped him. How could he take that peaceful expression away from her face? He knew this sight would be rare for him to see when she would be awake, so why not let it be for some time more? Smiling, he reached over and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. No one could see him right then, so this display of affection wouldn't hurt his tough image.

After showering, Dean finally shook her awake. She groaned and hid her face under the covers but he yanked them back, causing her to curl in herself. He chuckled and pulled out her pillow from under her head with a jerk. This time, albeit reluctantly, she did open her eyes, only to glower at him annoyingly.

"Morning princess," he greeted with a bright smile.

"Morning jerk," she replied and sat up, stretching her arms.

"Sam will be back any minute with the breakfast, so you may want to freshen up," he told her, taking out Sam's laptop to search for a new case. Silently she picked up fresh clothes and went into the bathroom.

"Alright. I've been cruising some websites. I think I found a few candidates for our next gig." She heard Dean's voice when she came out drying her hair. Dean was still on the laptop while Sam was drawing something on a paper.

"A fishing trawler found off the coast of Cali –- its crew vanished," he continued. "And, uh, we got some cattle mutilations in West Texas. Hey!" he called, making Sam look up. "Am I boring you with this hunting evil stuff?"

"No. I'm listening. Keep going," Sam replied and resumed his staring contest with the sketch.

"And, here, a Sacramento man shot himself in the head. Three times," Dean paused to smile at Lyra, who joined them at the table. "Hey beautiful," he said and turned to Sam. Lyra was stunned into silence by those two words. Did she hear him right? Did he just compliment her without any reason? Or was it endearment like sweetheart or dear? But both are unusual when coming from Dean.

Dean waved a hand in front of Sam's face, "Any of these things blowing up your skirt, pal?"

"Wait!" Sam exclaimed. "I've seen this."

"Seen what?" Dean asked as Sam got up to walk to his duffel. "What are you doing?" Dean questioned again. Sam rummaged through the bag and pulled out an old photograph. It was of the Winchester family when Sam was just a baby. He compared the tree he had drawn to the tree in the photo, they were identical.

"I know where we have to go next," Sam declared.

"Where?" Dean looked at him confusedly.

"Back home… back to Kansas," Sam replied. Lyra was bewildered by the sudden turn of events. Why would he, out of the blue, want to go back to their home? She knew Dean didn't like to talk much about his family history and going to a place where it all started, was out of the question for him.

"Okay, random," Dean said. "Where'd that come from?"

"All right, um, this photo was taken in front of our old house, right?" Sam started his explanation, handing the photo to Dean. "The house where Mom died?"

"Yeah…" he answered.

"And it didn't burn down, right? I mean, not completely, they rebuilt it, right?" Sam questioned.

"I guess so, yeah," Dean nodded in agreement. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Okay, look, this is gonna sound crazy but….the people who live in our old house - I think they might be in danger," Sam spoke out his suspicions.

"Why would you think that?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. Lyra didn't know what to make of this situation. Sam was acting really weird and this whole thing was connected to them. She had no idea what to say; this was personal to the brothers and she didn't knew much about their past. Just that their mother died in a fire when they were little, like Jessica. What she didn't know was the brothers also had little information beyond that.

"Uh…it's just, um….look just trust me on this, okay?" Sam stumbled over his words. He started walking away but Dean wasn't letting him go without answers, so he followed him.

"Wait, whoa, whoa, trust you?" Dean asked and got a nod in response. "Come on, man, that's weak. You gotta give me a little bit more than that," he grumbled.

"I can't really explain it is all," Sam stated.

"Well, tough. I'm not going anywhere until you do," Dean said and waited for him to speak.

Sam sighed and finally spoke, "I have these nightmares."

"I've noticed," Dean remarked.

"And sometimes….they come true," Sam revealed. Lyra stared at him in shock; she couldn't believe she had been living with a psychic all along. 'But seriously, who has premonitions?' she thought incredulously. 'Remember the world you're living in,' the more sensible part of her brain reasoned.

"Come again?" Dean looked at a loss just as her. This was his baby brother saying that he sees future which, truth be told, scared him.

"Look, Dean….I dreamt about Jessica's death - for days before it happened," Sam told him, trying to explain.

"Sam, people have weird dreams, man. I'm sure it's just a coincidence," Dean tried to reason, more with himself than him. Lyra watched as he sat on the bed, unable to even stay standing. She got up from her chair and kneeled in front of him. She took his hands in her own and squeezed them to show her support.

"No, I dreamt about the blood dripping, her on the ceiling, the fire, everything, and I didn't do anything about it 'cause I didn't believe it," Sam divulged the things he had kept hidden so far. "And now I'm dreaming about that tree, about our house, and about some woman inside screaming for help. I mean, that's where it all started, man, this has to mean something, right?"

Dean stared in Lyra's eyes to find something, anything. He didn't know what he was searching for but the sympathetic smile she gave him, made this a little easier for him to take in. "I don't know," he uttered.

"What do you mean you don't know, Dean?" Sam asked, taking a seat in front of him. "This woman might be in danger. I mean, this might even be the thing that killed Mom and Jessica!"

"All right, just slow down, would ya?" Dean said, tearing his gaze away from Lyra to look at Sam. He stood up and started pacing. "I mean, first you tell me that you've got the Shining? And then you tell me that I've gotta go back home? Especially when…."

"When what?" Sam asked while Lyra got up to calm Dean. She stood in front of him, making him halt his pacing.

Dean looked at her and answered Sam, "When I swore to myself that I would never go back there." He was breaking inside and Lyra could see that. He was reluctant to confront his past which would only make things worse for him in the long run. Lyra was not new to this tactic, she had delayed accepting her parents' death as long as she could but that only made it harder. She needed to get Dean to embrace the bitter truth, no matter how much it hurt.

"Look, Dean, we have to check this out. Just to make sure," Sam's voice broke the intense look they were sharing.

"I know we do," he said and turned away to pack his bag.

They all packed their things in silence. No one dared to break the emotional tension. Lyra kept glancing at Dean to make sure he was okay. She could see the storm of emotions building within him, threatening to blow over. But he was somehow keeping it in and the respect she had towards him grew ten times. He wasn't hiding it to appear tough but because he knew if he broke, then so would Sam and Lyra. Sam would always say that he was not a baby anymore but the truth was, he still looked up to his big brother for support when needed. And so, Dean could never sit and cry his heart out to make himself feel better but make Sam upset in the process.

Lyra jumped at the first opportunity she got to talk with Dean alone. Sam had taken out his bag and was loading it in the Impala when Dean came back to take the last bag out.

She grabbed his arm to stop him, "You don't seem alright."

He sighed and met her gaze, "That's because I'm not."

She smiled slightly to hear his honest answer. He wasn't hiding anything from her for at least this once. "What's bothering you?" she asked.

"This whole case," he answered. "Sam's psychic dream, going back to home, it being possibly related to the thing that killed mom, dad's disappearance. Everything."

"It's going to be alright," she offered her words of comfort. "This is just a phase Dean; like so many you've already seen. Why do you worry about it so much?"

"I can't help it," he replied. "I feel like it's too much for me to handle."

"The worst thing about times like this is that it makes you feel desperate, as if this is the end. But it's not," she asserted. "You don't have to handle anything else but that feeling of despair. Once you win over it, everything will look up for the good."

Dean gaped at her, once again rendered speechless by her advice. "You're wise beyond your years, you know that?" he remarked after recovering from his stunned state.

"I've been told," she said with a smile.

"Come on before Sam chews us out, like the bitch he is, for delaying," he smirked and pushed her out. She laughed and walked to the car, leaving him to stare at her back while thinking about what she'd said.

"You gonna be all right, man?" Sam asked Dean when they pulled up in front of their old house.

"Let me get back to you on that," Dean replied, getting out of his seat. Lyra got out and moved to stand by his side. She took a hold of his left hand and squeezed it slightly. He looked down at her and smiled, leading her forward to the house.

"It's beautiful," she commented. The house was a simple two storey building, green in color, a nice lawn in front. The house looked comfortable and spacious though it was giving off eerie vibes. They knocked at the door and a blond woman answered.

"Yes?" she asked curiously, wondering why she would get visitors when she wasn't expecting any so soon.

"Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but we're with the Federal—" Dean started his usual lie.

"I'm Sam Winchester, and this is my brother, Dean with his wife Lyra," Sam introduced, cutting him off. "We used to live here. You know, we were just driving by, and we were wondering if we could come see the old place."

"Winchester?" the woman wondered out loud. "Yeah, that's so funny. You know, I think I found some of your photos the other night."

"You did?" Dean asked, surprised.

She nodded, "Come on in. I'm Jenny." She led them to the kitchen where a little girl was doing her homework on the table while a toddler boy was jumping in his seat.

"Juice! Juice! Juice! Juice!" the boy shouted excitedly when they entered.

"That's Ritchie. He's kind of a juice junkie," Jenny explained with a smile. She handed her son a cup of juice with a laugh. "But, hey, at least he won't get dirty."

She walked over to the girl and said, "Sari, this is Sam, Lyra, and Dean. They used to live here."

"Hi," the little girl waved. Lyra waved back with a bright smile while Dean and Sam muttered a hello.

"So, you just moved in?" Dean questioned, wanting to erase Sam's suspicions as soon as possible and get out of there.

"Yeah, from Wichita," Jenny answered.

"You got family here, or….?" he let the other option trail off, not knowing what other cause might be.

"No," she replied. "I just, uh….needed a fresh start, that's all. So, new town, new job –- I mean, as soon as I find one. New house."

"So, how you liking it so far?" Sam asked with a small smile.

Lyra was busy looking around the house, wherever her eyes could reach. She felt bad that the Winchesters had to leave behind such nice house. It wouldn't have been so if their mother wouldn't have been killed. 'But you can't live in the 'if' life,' she thought sadly. She often tried to think how her life would have been if her parents wouldn't have died. But she knew it was a waste of time. There was no changing the past, so why ruin the present?

"Well, uh, all due respect to your childhood home - I mean, I'm sure you had lots of happy memories here," Jenny explained with a sheepish smile. "But this place has its issues."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, getting interested.

"Well, it's just getting old. Like the wiring, you know? We've got flickering lights almost hourly," she replied.

"Oh, that's too bad," Dean remarked. "What else?"

"Um…sink is backed up, there're rats in the basement," she said thoughtfully but then paused. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to complain."

"No," Dean smiled a little. "Have you seen the rats or have you just heard scratching?"

"It's just the scratching, actually," she answered with a confused expression at the relevance of his question. Lyra understood the implications of that statement; something might be going on there. She rubbed Dean's hand which she never let go and neither did he try to pull it free. She knew he needed some support but this showed that he wanted the support.

"Mom?" Sari called softly and Jenny turned to her, crouching to her level. "Ask them if it was here when they lived here."

"What, Sari?" Sam asked, taking a step closer.

"The thing in my closet," she whispered, looking scared.

"Oh, no, baby, there was nothing in their closets," Jenny told her and then turned to the hunters. "Right?"

"Right," Sam smiled. "No, no, of course not."

"She had a nightmare the other night," Jenny brushed it off.

"I wasn't dreaming," Sari stated. "It came into my bedroom - and it was on fire."

The three exchanged shocked glances. They thanked Jenny for letting them in after they recovered from the shocking revelation.

"You hear that?" Sam asked while they were walking back to the Impala. "A figure on fire."

"And that woman, Jenny, that was the woman in your dream?" Dean questioned.

"Yeah. And you hear what she was talking about? Scratching, flickering lights, both signs of a malevolent spirit," Sam stated.

"Yeah, well, I'm just freaked out that your weirdo visions are coming true," Dean commented. Even Lyra agreed with him on this one. The thought that Sam has premonitions was disturbing. It wasn't normal, not even in the supernatural world.

"Well, forget about that for a minute," Sam evaded the topic of his superhuman abilities. "The thing in the house, do you think it's the thing that killed Mom and Jessica?"

"I don't know!" Dean exclaimed, exasperated by Sam's hell bent intention of avenging Jessica's death. He had so many things to sort out without breaking down but Sam was making it impossible with his constant nagging. Lyra placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and he relaxed visibly. Her small gestures meant a lot to him. He would never admit but he relished her presence. She would always be with him and this thought comforted him that he will never be alone again.

"Well, I mean, has it come back or has it been here the whole time?" Sam asked a little excitedly.

"Or maybe it's something else entirely. Sam, we don't know yet," Dean reasoned with him.

"Well, those people are in danger, Dean. We have to get them out of that house," Sam said, excitement turning into aggravation.

"And we will," Dean assured.

"No, I mean now," Sam insisted desperately.

"And how you gonna do that, huh?" Dean asked. "You got a story that she's gonna believe?"

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Sam gave in to Dean's logic.

"Calm our minds for one," Lyra suggested. "We'll be no good to them if we're not sensible ourselves."

"You're right," Sam conceded.

"Haste makes waste, remember?" Lyra reminded him with a smile. "But Dean here always makes waste."

Sam chuckled softly and Dean shot her a grateful smile. She knew the skill of persuasion and distraction for that matter. They got in the car and went to the nearest gas station to fill up.

"You know if this was any other kind of job, what would we do?" Dean asked, leaning against the Impala.

Sam heaved a sigh and answered, "We'd try to figure out what we were dealing with. We'd dig into the history of the house."

"Exactly. Except this time, we already know what happened," Dean stated.

"Yeah, but how much do we know?" Sam questioned. "I mean, how much do you actually remember?" Lyra focused her attention on Dean at that question. She also wanted to know what actually happened.

"About that night, you mean?" Dean asked and Sam nodded in return. "Not much. I remember the fire…the heat," he paused, hesitating to go on. There wasn't much he knew himself but he didn't want to tell his emotions so he instead said, "And then I carried you out the front door."

"You did?" Sam's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Yeah, what, you never knew that?" Dean shrugged. "And, well, you know Dad's story as well as I do. Mom was….was on the ceiling. And whatever put her there was long gone by the time Dad found her."

"And he never had a theory about what did it?" Sam asked. Lyra brooded over that piece of information; it was surely a violent death their mother suffered. No doubt Sam would be like the way he is after watching it happen with his girlfriend.

"If he did, he kept it to himself. God knows we asked him enough times," Dean replied.

"Okay. So, if we're gonna figure out what's going on now…we have to figure out what happened back then. And see if it's the same thing," Sam sum upped.

"Yeah. We'll talk to Dad's friends, neighbors, people who were there at the time," Dean briefed.

"Does this feel like just another job to you?" Sam asked after a moment.

Dean said nothing on the matter and then excused himself to go to the bathroom. Sam and Lyra watched him round the corner and disappear from their sight.

"He's not okay," Sam stated, still looking in the direction Dean went.

"He's trying his best, Sam," Lyra replied. "You should cut him some slack for keeping his control over his emotions."

"I just want this to get over with," he sighed. "I also can't see him like this. It's difficult for us both to be here but I guess… he's being affected the most as he has actual memories of this place."

"That's right," she agreed and gave his shoulder a pat. "I'll go and check… be right back."

When Lyra reached the corner she heard Dean's last words over the phone, "need your help Dad." She placed a hand on his shoulder and he whirled around startled. The first and only thing she noticed was his tearful eyes. He sighed in relief when he saw that it was her and not Sam. He couldn't afford to let his brother see him in a weak state. He rubbed at his eyes, willing for the tears to go but she stopped him by grabbing his hands.

Dean looked at her in confusion and she shook her head saying, "Just let it go, Dean. It would be so much better if you do. Trust me."

Her kind expression reminded him of his mom and that did the trick. Dean couldn't control the tears that rolled down his face and he made no move to stop them. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him in a comforting embrace. He rested his head on her shoulder and cried for all he had lost. The many years he missed with his mother, the years he had to manage without a father, the years he had to look after Sam without any break, the years he had to neglect himself. He wasn't complaining. No. He could never do that. He was just taking a moment for himself, to pull his act together.

Lyra waited patiently for his tears to stop. She gently stroked his back, mumbling something all the while to sooth him. She was glad he vented it out. If you keep it suppressed inside yourself then the pressure keeps building and when you finally explode, it's near impossible to recover from the aftermath.

He took a deep breath and pulled back, avoiding her gaze. He was ashamed at himself to have shown such weakness in front of her. 'How could you look her in the eyes ever again? She would think that you're a loser; a pathetic man. She'd leave you the first chance she gets,' his inner self taunted him.

Lyra knew too well the reason behind his behavior now. She turned his chin towards her and making eye contact, she said, "Don't you pull that shit in front of me. There is nothing to be ashamed of. You understand?" He searched her eyes and when he found truth and determination, he nodded. He knew he could trust her. "Good," she remarked. "Now you don't need to ask me to keep this a secret, 'cause you know I'll never spill a word."

"I wasn't going to," he replied. "I trust you." He smiled and she reached up to brush away some stray tears. "Thank you… for everything," he said sincerely.

"I'm always there for you Dean. Never forget that," she smiled. "And I'm just repaying your kindness."

"Now if this huge heart to heart is over, I'd like to get back to my baby," he commented with a smirk. "She gets annoyed if I leave her alone with Sam for long."

Lyra laughed at his remark and led him back. "I'm glad you're feeling better," she whispered.

"Thanks to you," he whispered back.

Looking back, Dean couldn't comprehend what came over him to lose control like that. He had always kept his emotions in check, never letting them get out of hand. But then, he had let them flow. 'Was it because of her?' he asked himself.

Maybe yes. Maybe he needed a comforting hand all along. He knew he couldn't always keep his emotions bottled up inside but he had to. If he would have ever let them take control, then who would have been there to lend him a shoulder to cry on? He could never count on his dad to do that and he was there to take care of Sam, not the other way round. If he was to break down then who would've gone through it with him? No one, he had no one to turn to. He lived just to help people in their time of need; it wasn't expected of him to ask for help himself.

"What the hell took you so long?" Sam's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"We were trying to avoid your bitching as long as we could," Dean retorted.

"Huh, whatever," Sam huffed and settled in the passenger seat.

They went to the garage to question the owner and found that John had gone to a psychic after the incident. The owner couldn't help much other than that. They stopped near a payphone to search for the psychics in town.

"All right, so there are a few psychics and palm readers in town," Sam said, looking through the phonebook there. "There's someone named El Divino. There's, uh -" he chuckled. "There's the Mysterious Mister Fortinsky. Uh, Missouri Moseley-"

"Wait, wait. Missouri Moseley?" Dean asked, seeming to know something.

"What?" Sam asked, confused.

"That's a psychic?" Dean asked again.

"Uh, yeah," Sam confirmed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Hand me the journal," he demanded, extending his hand towards Lyra. She picked up the journal from beside her and placed it in his hand. "In Dad's journal…here, look at this," he opened the first page. "First page, first sentence, read that."

Sam read, "I went to Missouri and I learned the truth."

"I always thought he meant the state," Dean shrugged.

"So, we going to Missouri?" Lyra asked, leaning forward. "It's gonna be fun."


	18. Home 2

Lyra was curious to meet Missouri. She had never met a supposed psychic before and she was interested in getting to know what exactly they do. She didn't want to presume anything, so she was going with a neutral mind. When they reached Missouri's house, she was busy with someone, so they waited in the lobby.

"All right, there," Missouri said as she came out of her room with the man. "Don't you worry 'bout a thing. Your wife is crazy about you." The man gave her a relieved smile and went out the door. She sighed, "Phew. Poor bastard. His woman is cold-banging the gardener."

"Why didn't you tell him?" Dean asked her.

"People don't come here for the truth," she replied. "They come for good news."

"But don't they have a right to know the truth?" Lyra spoke up. "What good will the 'good news' do to them? The truth will come out sooner or later and it'll hurt more if it's later."

Lyra strongly preferred to know the truth even if it's bitter. And she had a pretty good logic for that. Running away will only cost you more and the time you've spent in oblivion will only worsen it. It's always better if you face it sooner rather than later.

Dean felt a surge of pride for Lyra. He also wasn't one to run from his problems. He'd rather bite the bullet and get it over with, than be kept in the dark about anything. Though you can't say the same when it comes to emotions, he preferred to push them away as long as he can. But that was like that until Lyra came into his life. He had started confronting his feelings, since she was there to support him.

"You do have a point," Missouri agreed. "But my business will go downhill if I start telling them the truth. It's all about convincing lies here." She smiled and then continued, "Well? Sam, Dean, and Lyra, come on already; I ain't got all day."

She went inside her room and the trio followed her with bewildered looks. "Well, let me look at ya," she turned to face them. "Oh, you boys grew up handsome." Next she pointed a finger at Dean and remarked, "And you were one goofy-looking kid, too."

Lyra's mind quickly pulled out the image of the Winchester family photo. Now that she concentrated, she could see that Dean indeed was somewhat goofy-looking. But then again, it could be because she already had a presumption in mind.

"And you're a beauty with brain, Lyra," Missouri smiled at her, taking her by the shoulders. "You two make a perfect couple."

Dean didn't feel uncomfortable by the compliment, nor did he feel the urge to scoff. He actually liked the comment. He felt good on hearing that they were perfect for each other. But he didn't smile as brightly outside as he was smiling inside; he just gave a tight smile to the elder woman.

"Sam," Missouri moved on to him and grabbed his hand. "Oh, honey…I'm sorry about your girlfriend. And your father - he's missing?"

"How'd you know all that?" Sam asked, shocked by her words. Lyra was wondering the same thing, how'd she know she, and Dean were a couple? 'The wedding bands,' her mind supplied and she shook her head at her own stupidity.

"Well, you were thinking it just now," Missouri answered in a 'duh' voice. Lyra stared at her in disbelief. She never thought that people could read minds. But then again, anything was possible in the world they lived in. Sometimes she wondered what would be the limit.

"Well, where is he? Is he okay?" Dean asked hopefully.

"I don't know," she replied a little sadly.

"Don't know?" he scoffed. "Well, you're supposed to be a psychic, right?" Lyra gave him a disapproving look but she understood his sulky behavior, he was worried about his dad.

"Boy, you see me sawing some bony tramp in half?" Missouri snapped back. "You think I'm a magician? I may be able to read thoughts and sense energies in a room, but I can't just pull facts out of thin air."

"Sit, please," she gestured to the chairs. They all took seats and got comfortable. "Boy, you put your foot on my coffee table; I'll whack you with a spoon!" Missouri exclaimed, making Lyra snicker but a part of her didn't like the idea of Dean getting hurt, even by a spoon.

"I didn't do anything," Dean said.

"But you were thinking about it," she justified. Dean raised an eyebrow at her while Sam grinned widely.

Lyra shifted uncomfortably; she didn't like the idea of someone reading her thoughts. It was a matter of privacy. Her thoughts were the only thing which she can keep to herself but now, this woman can intrude in them too.

"I never intrude, honey," Missouri told her, responding to her thoughts.

"Well, you contradicted yourself," Lyra remarked. "If you weren't intruding, how'd you know what I was thinking?"

Missouri smiled sheepishly at her, "True."

Dean smirked, feeling proud of Lyra. 'Yeah, take that,' he thought smugly, fully intending for Missouri to read or hear. He was glad that Lyra outsmarted the woman who can give him a run for his money.

"Okay. So, our dad - when did you first meet him?" Sam asked, wasting no time.

"He came for a reading. A few days after the fire," Missouri answered. "I just told him what was really out there in the dark. I guess you could say…I drew back the curtains for him."

"What about the fire?" Dean asked. "Do you know about what killed our mom?"

"A little," she replied. "Your daddy took me to your house. He was hoping I could sense the echoes, the fingerprints of this thing."

"And could you?" Sam raised his eyebrows.

"I…." she hesitated.

"What was it?" Sam prodded.

"I don't know," she said. "Oh, but it was evil."

"Of course it was," Lyra commented with a dry laugh. "Good things don't kill people. And I doubt there are many good things out there."

"Why are you enquiring about that house after all these years?" Missouri asked and two pairs of eyes turned to Sam. He sighed and launched into his explanation about the dream and the things Jenny told them.

"So…you think something is back in that house?" Missouri asked when he was done.

"Definitely," Sam nodded.

"I don't understand," she said. "I haven't been back inside, but I've been keeping an eye on the place, and it's been quiet. No sudden deaths, no freak accidents. Why is it acting up now?"

"I don't know," Sam responded. "But Dad going missing and Jessica dying and now this house all happening at once - it just feels like something's starting."

"That's a comforting thought," Dean remarked.

"What do you suggest we do now?" Lyra asked, looking at each of them in turn.

"You said you can sense their fingerprints or something like that?" Sam questioned Missouri.

"Yeah, boy I can," she replied and then furrowed her brows. "You suggesting that I take a look in the house?"

"It would answer whether it's the same thing or not," Sam reasoned with a shrug.

"Not bad, Sam," Lyra patted his back. After a few minutes, they all got in the Impala and drove to the house.

"Sam, Dean, Lyra. What are you doing here?" Jenny asked as she opened the door.

"Hey, Jenny, this is our friend, Missouri," Sam introduced.

"If it's not too much trouble, we were hoping to show her the old house. You know, for old time's sake," Dean explained.

"You know, this isn't a good time. I'm kind of busy," she said politely.

"Listen, Jenny, it's important," he stooped her and got smacked by Missouri on the back of his head. "Ow!"

Lyra didn't like that; sure he deserved it but her mind just won't deem it acceptable. She had always been a little possessive and maybe this sudden protectiveness was a result of it. 'Why am I feeling like that?' she asked herself, frustrated. 'For God's sake, he deserved that and you know it,' her rational mind argued. 'But then why didn't I like him get smacked?' she questioned again. When no answer came she huffed in irritation, 'Stupid hormones.' Whenever she couldn't find a convincing reason for her irrational behavior, she'd blame it on her hormones which practically would be true.

"Give the poor girl a break; can't you see she's upset?" Missouri's voice brought Lyra out of her mind. "Forgive this boy, he means well, he's just not the sharpest tool in the shed, but hear me out," she said to Jenny.

Dean was shocked by her words and he turned to look at Sam who smirked at him. But Lyra placed a hand on his arm and smiled understandingly at him. His face softened and he smiled back, glad that he had her.

"About what?" Jenny asked confusedly.

"About this house," Missouri replied, gesturing around.

"What are you talking about?" Jenny demanded, skepticism creeping in her voice.

"I think you know what I'm talking about," Missouri answered. "You think there's something in this house, something that wants to hurt your family. Am I mistaken?"

"Who are you?" she was completely suspecting now.

"We're people who can help, who can stop this thing. But you're gonna have to trust us, just a little," Missouri reasoned. Jenny looked conflicted but allowed them entry nonetheless. The psychic led them up the stairs and into the little girl's bedroom. "If there's a dark energy around here, this room should be the center of it," she said.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"This used to be your nursery, Sam," she told him. "This is where it all happened." They looked around the room while Dean pulled out his EMF reader. "That an EMF?" Missouri asked him and he nodded in reply. "Amateur," she remarked.

Dean glared at her and Lyra once again didn't like Missouri's act. Her possessive traits were working in overdrive. She wanted to retaliate to her insult. That EMF reader had helped them quite sometimes and it was built by Dean himself. She closed her eyes to control her raging emotions. 'Get a hold. You're behaving very irrationally,' she berated herself. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Suddenly she could see her reactions in a new light; she didn't like her _husband_ being treated like that. It felt like she herself was being treated that way. "Oh God," she breathed.

"I don't know if you boys should be disappointed or relieved, but this ain't the thing that took your mom," Missouri announced.

"Wait, are you sure?" Sam asked and she nodded in response. "How do you know?"

"It isn't the same energy I felt the last time I was here. It's something different," she said.

"What is it?" Dean asked, glancing sideways at Lyra who seemed to be having a revelation of her own.

"Not it," Missouri said, opening the closet. "Them. There's more than one spirit in this place."

"What are they doing here?" Dean questioned.

"They're here because of what happened to your family," she explained. "You see, all those years ago, real evil came to you. It walked this house. That kind of evil leaves wounds. And sometimes, wounds get infected."

"I don't understand," Sam said, clearly confused.

"This place is a magnet for paranormal energy," Missouri explained further. "It's attracted a poltergeist; a nasty one. And it won't rest until Jenny and her babies are dead."

"You said there was more than one spirit," Sam confirmed.

"There is. I just can't quite make out the second one," she replied.

"Well, one thing's for damn sure - nobody's dying in this house ever again," Dean declared. Lyra looked at him and she knew the wound had been reopened. He was still grieving his mother's loss. She knew all too well that the pain never goes away; it just hides for the time being and resurfaces the first chance it gets. And Dean's pain had come back, but it was good. Once this case was over, he'll get some kind of closure or satisfaction that he did something about it. He would not only be helping the people living there but also himself.

"So whatever is here, how do we stop it?" Dean asked Missouri.

"We need to get back to my house," she answered. "I need to get supplies."

They went back to the psychic's house and she immediately busied herself in gathering the things they'd need. She laid them on the table and started making small packets.

"So, what is all this stuff, anyway?" Dean asked, looking at the pile in disinterest.

"Angelica Root, Van-Van oil, crossroad dirt, a few other odds and ends," Missouri replied.

"Yeah? What are we supposed to do with it?" Dean questioned again.

"We're gonna put them inside the walls in the north, south, east, west corners on each floor of the house," she told them.

"We'll be punching holes in the dry wall. Jenny's gonna love that," Dean remarked.

"Yeah, when you'll be paying the damages," Lyra added.

"Why should I?" he scoffed. "If anyone it should be her," he pointed at Missouri. "She should be the one to pay; after all it's her idea."

"Why Dean, haven't you got enough money?" Lyra taunted and he glared at her, making her laugh. She enjoyed teasing him but it was her right alone. She couldn't stand any other person taunting him, just her possessive nature.

"And this'll destroy the spirits?" Sam asked, as always ignoring their bicker.

"It should," Missouri answered. "It should purify the house completely. We'll each take a floor. But we work fast. Once the spirits realize what we're up to, things are gonna get bad."

"You'll stick with me," Dean told Lyra, sternly.

"Where else would I go?" she asked rhetorically, with a roll of her eyes. Then in a soft voice she said, "I can't leave you, remember?"

He smirked and replied, "I won't let you." They smiled at each other and followed the other two out.

"Look, I'm not sure I'm comfortable leaving you guys here alone," Jenny said as she was led outside the house by Missouri.

"Just take your kids to the movies or something and it'll be over by the time you get back," Missouri smiled and ushered her to her car. She reluctantly got in with the kids and drove off.

Inside the house, Dean and Lyra were working in the kitchen. Dean was punching a hole in the wall with an ax while Lyra was looking around warily. She heard something open and turned around just in time to dodge a knife coming her way. "Dean!" she squeaked and pulled him down with her. More knives came flying their way and Dean quickly pulled a nearby table in front of them. "You okay?" he asked her and she nodded frantically. When it seemed like it had temporarily stopped, they stood up and heard a crashing sound from upstairs. Dean's eyes widened in horror and he leapt forward to check on his little brother who was working there.

Upon reaching the room where Sam was working, they found that Sam was almost passed out with a cord around his neck. "Sam!" Dean shouted and tried to pull the cord off but in vain. He quickly kicked the already destroyed wall and placed the small bag inside. A light shone through it and the cord came off Sam's neck. Dean went back to him and engulfed him in a strong hug. Lyra placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He looked up at her and she nodded in assuring.

A few hours later, when Sam had been taken care of, they were gathered in the kitchen. "You sure this is over?" Sam asked Missouri.

"I'm sure," she affirmed. "Why? Why do you ask?"

"Never mind," Sam sighed and waved his hand. "It's nothing, I guess."

"Hello?" Jenny asked tentatively, walking in. "We're home." She entered the kitchen and stopped in shock. "What happened?"

"Hi, sorry, um, we'll pay for all of this," Sam said with a sheepish smile.

"Don't you worry. Dean's gonna clean up this mess," Missouri told Jenny. Dean just gawked at her. "Well, what are you waiting for, boy? Get the mop," she ordered. He walked away and Lyra followed him after a moment. "And don't cuss at me!" she yelled at him.

"You should go back, I'll handle this," Dean said to Lyra as he picked up a broom.

"Well, I don't want to sit idle," she replied. "I can help."

He stared at her for a few moments, weighing her determination. "As you wish," he finally spoke.

They worked in the kitchen first while the others were chatting in the living room. The two did the cleaning as a well synchronized team and had moved on to the next floor in no time.

"I noticed something," Dean broke the comfortable silence between them.

"What?" Lyra asked a she swept the mess with her broom.

"You weren't very happy with the crazy psychic," he said. "Especially when she hit me."

Lyra's cheek heated up and she turned around to hide her blush. "It was nothing," she replied, stuttering a little. "I might have been thinking about something else."

"Didn't seem like that to me," he remarked. "You were pretty much killing her with your glare."

"What? No," she denied, flushing even more. "I was just…."

"Just what?" he asked, appearing in front of her. "You didn't like how she treated me," he stated with a smirk.

Lyra looked like a tomato then, she was blushing so furiously. "No… I was just…" she stuttered again. Lying was definitely not her department. She took a deep breath and thrust her chin up. "Alright," she started. "Yes, I didn't like how she treated you."

"Why?" he was enjoying the moment immensely.

"I don't know," she replied. "Sometimes I react irrationally. It's a girl thing." She added the last part to make him back off. Wherever there were female issues involved, Dean Winchester would book the return flight.

"Oh, okay," he said. "Never mind." They both knew it wasn't just 'a girl thing', but they weren't ready to accept the actual reason yet.

They finished the rest of their work and joined Sam outside by the Impala. He had made a trip to Missouri's house to drop her off and was waiting for them to finish. They went to take dinner in a diner and Sam asked to watch the house for the night. Dean reluctantly agreed and they found themselves in front of their old home again.

"All right, so, tell me again, what are we still doing here?" Dean asked, shooting Sam a very confused look.

"I don't know. I just…I still have a bad feeling," Sam said, looking at the house.

"Why?" Dean raised an eyebrow. "Missouri did her whole Zelda Rubenstein thing, the house should be clean. It should be over."

"Yeah, well, probably," Sam replied. "But I just wanna make sure, that's all."

"Yeah, well, problem is I could be sleeping in a bed right now," Dean said and looked back at Lyra who was on the verge of sleep. Her eyes were starting to droop and she was almost laying down on the backseat.

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed, smacking him. "Look, Dean!" He pointed to a window where Jenny was pounding and screaming in fear. Sam's sudden shout had woken Lyra up and she was fully alert now. They all jumped out of the car at the same time and rushed to the door. The boys busted it open, and they hurried inside. "You grab the kids, I'll get Jenny," Dean instructed and ran off.

"I'll get Richie," Lyra said to Sam and went to find the kid. She found him in his nursery, safely lying in his crib. She picked him up and quickly went out. She was just running out when her foot got caught in some rug and she fell. She had somehow managed to keep Ritchie from getting hurt. She pushed him forward, "Out baby! Mommy's out. Go." The boy ran out without any word and Lyra struggled to get up. She had twisted her foot badly and she was sure she had sprained it, if not fractured.

"Lyra?" she heard Sam from her behind. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm…" she winced when her attempt to get up jerked her foot. "Alright," she finished with a gasp. Sam put Sari down and told her to run without looking back. Lyra was trying to reach something to help her up; it was difficult for her to even get up without support. Sam rushed forward to help her up but he got knocked by some force which pulls him in another room.

"Sam!" Lyra screamed, watching from her helpless position on the ground. She could hear him being thrown around but she couldn't do anything to help him. She just wished Dean to show up. She heard Dean's cry from outside but before he could reach them, the front door slammed shut on its own.

Lyra crawled to the nearest table and hauled herself up by its support. She started limping towards the room where Sam was but couldn't get far before something floored her. The air got knocked out of her as she landed face first on the floor. Her injured foot got jostled too much and she barely contained the scream that wanted to leave her lips but her tears streamed down, unchecked. She heard Dean chopping off the front door and she just hoped that he'd hurry up. A few minutes later, Dean emerged through the hole he had created and rushed to her side. She shook her head frantically, "Sam! Go!" she urged him to the room where Sam was. He looked at her with so much concern that it brought fresh tears to her eyes. On another push from her, he ran to Sam aid.

Lyra collapsed on the floor and closed her eyes, breathing hard. It was her right foot which was unlucky. She didn't make any move to try to sit up or stand up; she just laid there and let all the exhaustion consume her.

Dean followed Sam out of the room, rubbing a palm over his eyes to force the tears to stop. He couldn't believe he saw his own mother just moments ago. Sam stopped walking abruptly and Dean bumped into him. He looked at him with questioning eyes and he gestured to where Lyra was unconscious on the ground.

"Lyra!" Dean exclaimed and shot forward to her side. He had almost forgotten about her. 'Oh God! What if I crossed the 30 minute mark?' he asked himself. 'No, it wasn't that long,' he reasoned desperately.

"Hey, Lyra, wake up!" he called anxiously, shaking her. "Come on, kitten."

"Dean, her foot," Sam pointed out, making him look over at her leg. Sure enough, her right foot had swollen to double its actual size. He checked it over and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not broken," he said and lifted her in his arms. Sam rushed ahead to open the backseat and Dean gently laid her down. "You're driving," he told Sam, tossing him the keys.

"But where?" Sam asked, catching the keys.

"To a hospital," Dean answered and got inside in the back. Sam quickly explained the situation to Jenny and got in the driver's seat.

Dean wanted to make sure that her foot was not fractured, so that's why they went to a hospital. The nurses tried to make him leave while they treated her but he won't listen. He was with her the whole time when they took care of her sprain. To Dean's relief, it wasn't broken and the doctor said it'd heal completely in just 2 weeks. She had broken a few muscles which won't let her walk freely for a few days.

The next morning, Lyra woke up in a hospital bed. She groaned and looked around blearily. Dean was out cold on the small stool beside her bed, his head on the bed. He was clutching her left hand and she smiled at his little caring gesture. She tugged to free it but it only woke him up. He jerked awake with a start and his eyes scanned the whole room for possible threat. When he found none, he turned to her and smiled softly.

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

"Better," she replied, looking at her wrapped foot. "Why'd you bring me here?"

"We had to make sure that it wasn't broken," he answered with a shrug. "I wasn't going to take any risk."

She smiled, "So, when will we be free to go?"

"Anytime now," he said. "The nurse said we could go yesterday night if I wanted but they were giving you a bed."

She laughed, "We could have gone to Missouri's, if you wanted a bed to sleep on."

He made a face, "You know how much I like that woman."

"Anyway, where's Sam?" she asked, searching for him. Dean also turned to look but then he remembered something.

"He said he'll go in the morning to take Missouri to the house and make sure it was over," he explained.

"That reminds me, what happened?" she asked with concern.

"Uh…" he gulped. "Mom saved us." He could say only that before his throat closed up with heavy emotion.

"Oh," she didn't know what else to say. So she took his hands in her and rubbed them soothingly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, smiling up at her. She noticed that it wasn't just for show, he was actually feeling better.

"So, can we not go from here?" she asked shyly. "I want to be out."

"Sure," he chuckled. She also didn't like hospitals. "I'll tell the nurse to get your papers ready."

She nodded and he stood up to walk out, but before going, he kissed her forehead. She smiled sweetly and waited for her to get discharged. She felt happy that he was finally better. He wouldn't have to keep his emotions to himself, he could share it now. And Lyra was glad that it was her who had helped him. She didn't feel useless anymore. She had something to do from now on, help Dean in his time of need of support.

**A/N: I won't be able to update for about a week, so I'm sorry. But I'll get back as soon as I can. In the meanwhile, please review. I really appreciate you efforts.**


	19. Asylum 1

**A/N: Alas! I'm back. I know it's been longer than a week but, what can I say? It's real busy time for me. Anyway, a huge thanks to all my reviewers. I'll update soon this time. Please let me know your views, they are always welcome. And I added a scene from last episode which I missed. Hope you enjoy!**

_**Then**_

Missouri walked into her house, setting her purse on a table. "That boy…he has such powerful abilities. But why he couldn't sense his own father, I have no idea," she said to John, who was sitting on the couch in her living room.

"Mary's spirit - do you really think she saved the boys?" John asked in a thick voice, fiddling with his wedding ring.

"I do," she replied. "John Winchester, I could just slap you. Why won't you go talk to your children?"

"I want to," he said tearfully. "You have no idea how much I wanna see them. But I can't. Not yet. Not until I know the truth."

Missouri looked at the unfortunate man, sharing a look. His eyes held determination. "And your daughter-in-law? Do you even know your son got married?" she questioned him with disappointment. She was pretty much sure what his answer would be.

"Yes I do," he snapped. "But my daughter-in-law?" It was strange for him to put it that way. He could adjust with Dean being married but having a daughter-in-law? It was something he thought he'd never get to say but still dreamed about it. He wanted his sons to get a normal life, a life away from the horrors of reality.

"I knew it," Missouri exclaimed. "I bet you don't even know her name."

John's eyes lit up with curiosity. He wasn't very expressive but in his standards, it was really something. "What is she like? Is she suitable enough for Dean?" he asked eagerly but then his mouth turned into a frown. "She isn't slowing them, is she?"

Missouri shook her head disbelievingly. "Oh my, you really need to connect back to life John. There is far more in this world then just the monsters you hunt."

John scowled, "Leave it then, I don't want to know. I'll find out when the time comes." He stood up and walked out the front door.

"You're an idiot, John," Missouri shouted. "You're missing out on life." She watched him walk away in the direction of where he had parked his truck, fading into distance.

_**Now**_

It was yet another day, nameless and dateless, inside yet another crappy motel room. It didn't matter to them what date or which day it was. Lyra sometimes even forgot which month it was running; a life on road would do that to you. She was sitting by the window on the couch, balancing her laptop on her thighs. It had been weeks since she last checked her mail, not that the world would collapse if she didn't. Even after so many weeks, there was only a small bunch of them; mostly from her school friends while others were junk. She had replied to all her friends, telling them she was fine and on some road-trip with her distant relatives to take some time off. What else she could tell them? She stared out the window, not seeing anything. She was lost in her own thoughts to notice any of her surroundings. She could hear Sam talking on his phone, Dean flicking the pages of John's journal, but couldn't focus on them.

"Dad was in California last we heard from him," Sam said to whoever was on the other end of the phone. "We just thought that he comes to you for munitions - maybe you've seen him in the last few weeks. Just call us if you hear anything. Thanks."

"Caleb hasn't heard from him?" Dean asked Sam after he ended the call.

"Nope," he replied. "Neither has Jefferson or Pastor Jim. What about the journal? Any leads in there?"

"No. Same last time I looked. Nothing I can make out," Dean answered, turning a few pages. He gave out a short laugh which jerked Lyra back to reality. "I love the guy, but I swear, he writes like frigging Yoda," he continued while Lyra tried to figure out what was going on.

"You know, maybe we should call the Feds," Sam suggested. "File a missing person's."

Now it made sense to her, they were talking about John, the man she never met. She often wondered what he was like; would he accept her? Or would he outright despise her? Once, she had brought this topic up in front of Dean and he had said that he didn't know how his father will react. But he had assured her that it won't be half bad, if the phone call he had with John was anything to go by.

"We talked about this," Dean said. "Dad would be pissed if we put the Feds on his tail."

"I don't care anymore," Sam sounded exasperated. Just then, Dean's cell phone ringed and he got up to search for it. "After all that happened back in Kansas, I mean…he should've been there, Dean. You said so yourself, you tried to call him and nothing."

"I know," Dean half muttered. "Where the hell is my cell phone?"

Lyra laughed at his attempts to locate his phone, she wondered how he had survived on his own. His room would always be a mess and it wasn't surprising he would misplace something in there. "Check the side pocket, the right one," she supplied. Dean looked up at her with a grateful smile and proceeded to open the pocket.

"You know, he could be dead for all we know," Sam went on, making Lyra turn her head in his direction to study his face. He looked reluctant to say that but the desperation was evident on his face.

"Don't say that," Dean protested, locking eyes with his brother. "He's not dead. He's…he's…"

"He's what?" Sam challenged. "He's hiding? He's busy? He went on vacation?"

Dean pulled out his phone and Lyra couldn't help but say, "Ever wondered what you'll do without me?"

"Don't need to," he shrugged. "You're not going anywhere, sweetheart." He grinned and checked his phone. "I don't believe it," he mumbled, staring at the screen.

"What?" Sam asked, beating Lyra to it.

"It's a text message," Dean answered. "It's coordinates." He quickly went over to Lyra and she hastily made room for him to sit. He took her laptop from her, placing it on his knees and typed in the coordinates, waiting for the result to show up. Lyra eased herself beside him to take a look.

"You think Dad was texting us?" Sam asked, pulling a chair across from them.

"He's given us coordinates before," Dean said, reading the place for the coordinates.

Sam laughed sardonically, "The man can barely work a toaster, Dean."

"Explains why Dean is so tech friendly," Lyra remarked, earning a glare from the man in question.

"Sam, this is good news. It means he's okay. Or alive, at least," he reasoned, searching for local news of the place.

"Well, was there a number on the caller ID?" Sam questioned.

"No, it said 'unknown'," Dean answered, clicking on few articles that caught his attention.

"Well, where do the coordinates point?" Sam asked, reflecting upon the facts.

"That's the interesting part - Rockford, Illinois," he replied.

"Okay, and that's interesting how?" Sam's brows furrowed.

"Why Dean, do they employ the hottest females as waitresses?" Lyra taunted, eliciting a chuckle from Sam and a huff of annoyance from Dean.

"As I was saying, I checked the local Rockford paper. Take a look at this." Dean started reading from an article, "This cop, Walter Kelly, comes home from his shift, shoots his wife, puts the gun in his mouth, and blows his brains out. And earlier that night, Kelly and his partner responded to a call at the Roosevelt Asylum."

"Okay, I'm not following. What does this have to do with us?" Sam asked, still confused.

"Dad earmarked the same asylum in the journal," Dean told them, opening the journal to a certain page. "Here, seven unconfirmed sightings, two deaths - 'til last week, at least. I think this is where he wants us to go."

Sam snorted, "This is a job. Dad wants us to work a job"

"I mean, maybe we'll meet up with him, maybe he's there." Dean's eyes showed his excitement clearly.

"Maybe he's not," Sam argued. "I mean, he could be sending us there by ourselves to hunt this thing."

"Who cares?" Dean's tone was incredulous. "If he wants us there, that's good enough for me."

Lyra wondered if this blind faith and idolization was completely correct. Sure, there was no problem in loving one's father; she did too, but following orders like a minion was not how a father-son relationship should work. She now understood what Sam meant when he said that they were raised like soldiers. John was probably their commander-in-chief, giving out orders to be followed without question, which Sam rebelled against. But she also didn't support Sam's arguing. You can ask for some answers, which is necessary, but arguing over there validity or totally opposing them was not right. A father knows what is right for his children, so why would he take a wrong decision? You should trust his judgment but should ask why he did so, try to understand his view on that thing. That way you'll learn something. Dean's way of complying without questions would not improve his judging skills, while Sam's way of arguing over everything would only increase the tension and delay them.

"This doesn't strike you as weird? The texting? The coordinates?" Sam asked, refusing to give up.

"Sam, Dad's telling us to go somewhere - we're going." Dean's tone left no room for further argument. Lyra was tempted to say something in Sam's support but decided against it. She had seen how defensive Dean could get when you say something against his dad.

They quietly packed there belongings and headed for the Impala. Lyra wasn't in the best of her mood, so when she shut the car door a little too harshly, Dean knew something was wrong.

"You alright?" he asked, getting in the car himself. Sam had gone to return the keys and check out.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she snapped, wincing when her foot jostled sharply. It had been some 5 days since she sprained it and the doctor had advised to keep it bandaged for at least two weeks.

"Doesn't look like fine to me," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"If you're gonna judge for yourself then why do you ask?" Her voice was laced with irritation.

"To hear your voice," he replied quietly but she heard it nonetheless. He looked in the rear view mirror and her expression was one of surprise and mild amusement. "I mean… to hear your answer," he backtracked quickly.

She laughed and shook her head, "I can use a compliment Dean. Thank you."

"Uh… well." He scratched his neck, trying to find words. 'At least she isn't blushing, which would have been a lot more embarrassing than this,' he thought with relief. "What got you irked in the first place?" he asked, steering the conversation away from his slip up.

"No particular thing," she shrugged. "A girl doesn't need reason to act the way she does."

"Oh, yeah, forgot that one," he said with an innocent smile. He had learned Lyra's reasoning for many things, mostly related to women's behavior.

"Will you let me drive the car today?" she asked excitedly. It had been a long time since she last drove a car but now she suddenly wanted to drive the Impala. She knew what Dean's answer would be, a flat no, but she couldn't help but try once.

"What 'bout your foot?" he asked with concern.

"I'll live. I'm walking on my own, ain't I?" she challenged.

"Yeah, barely," he scoffed.

"Please Dean? My foot won't be a problem, I swear," she pleaded.

"Uh… maybe, okay," he said uncertainly and Lyra's eyes widened in shock. "I'll be riding shotgun to keep an eye on you."

Lyra couldn't believe what she heard and it took her time to recover from her stupefied state. Closing her jaw she spoke, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, come on." He got out of the car and opened her door for her. When she was settled in the driver's seat, he claimed the passenger seat. Sam chose that moment to return and on seeing the new arrangement raised an eyebrow in surprise. He silently got in the backseat and watched the two in slight amusement.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Lyra exclaimed, clutching the steering wheel in her hands. She started the car and drove out of the parking lot, testing it. "Now this is what I call a car."

"You bet," Dean said with a proud smirk. He watched as she drove quite impressively on the road, the bright smile never leaving her face.

"You aren't as bad as I feared," he remarked after a few minutes of silence.

She laughed, "Oh yeah? Should I take it as a compliment?"

"Definitely," he replied and shifted in his seat to get comfortable. Now that he knew he could trust her with his baby, he decided to relax. He watched her smiling out of the corner of his eye and was glad that he was the reason behind the shift in her mood.

She drove all the way to Rockford, playing her favorite songs along the way, just to annoy Dean. They decided to start their inquiry with the dead cop's partner and guessed he would be at the bar or else they'll ask around. They all entered the bar together but at the last moment Sam told them to go on without him. Lyra also opted out of interrogating the cop and instead waited for Dean to finish.

She watched from her place at the far end, sipping a beer, how Dean tried to get some information out of him. And when he didn't seem to get much success, Sam interrupted them by pushing Dean away, trying to play the nice guy. Dean beckoned her to follow him out and so, she took one last big gulp of the beer, standing up from her stool.

"So, Sam played the tactful one huh?" she asked as she joined him by the Impala.

"Oh yeah? I could have easily got what we needed out of that cop," Dean said somewhat sourly.

"Give him some credit, Dean," she reprimanded. "I'm sure his plan would work better than your blunt one. Admit it."

"Alright," he conceded sourly. "You seem cheerful now."

"That I am," she replied with a smile. "I now know what to do when feeling down – drive your car."

"My baby doesn't give comfort drives to anyone," he remarked.

"I'm not 'anyone'," she said, grinning. "Do I need to tell you whose wife I am?"

"An awesome hunter known as Dean Winchester," he replied with a smirk. They were both laughing heartily when Sam came out of the bar. "You shoved me kind of hard in there, buddy boy," Dean said to him.

"Can't you take a shove from your little brother?" Lyra mocked but Dean kept his cool.

"What can I say? He learned from the best," Dean boasted, patting Sam on the back. "What'd you find out from Gunderson?"

"So, Walter Kelly was a good cop," Sam answered him. "Head of his class, even-keeled; he had a bright future ahead of him."

"What about at home?" Dean asked.

"He and his wife had a few fights, like everybody." Sam alternated his gaze between the two while saying that. Dean threw him a 'I'm talking professional here' look which brought Sam back to the point. "But it was mostly smooth sailing. They were even talking about having kids."

"All right, so, either Kelly had some deep-seated crazy way to bust out or something else did it to him," Dean concluded and Sam made a noise of agreement. "What'd Gunderson tell you about the asylum?"

"A lot," Sam stated.

Dean drove them to the Roosevelt Asylum and upon exiting the car Lyra stared at the locked gate with fenced walls surrounding the asylum. She watched as Dean and Sam walked over to the wall, preparing to jump over it.

"Hey! What 'bout me?" she called, slightly limping towards them.

"Sammy will boost you up and I'll catch you on the other side," Dean replied, easily scaling the height. She looked at him with a scared expression, afraid that she'll break her already injured foot. He smiled down at her, balancing himself on the top, "Trust me, Lyra."

Sam crouched down and joined his palms together for her to step on. She placed her good foot, which happened to be the left one, on his hands, taking support of his shoulders with her left hand and jumped up. Dean had his hand stretched out for her to take and so, she took a hold of it with her right one. He pulled her up and over the fence, releasing her hand once she was stable to jump down on the other side.

"Come on, jump," he said from below, opening his arms to catch her. She took a deep breath and jumped, shutting her eyes tightly. Just a second later, she felt strong arms break her fall, securing her within them. Dean grunted under the sudden weight but managed to keep a hold on her. She opened her eyes to see his grinning face. "See? Told you not to worry."

"Yeah, well, let's do it again. It was fun," she said, setting her feet down.

Dean's reaction was just what she had expected, he grimaced. "Oh, yeah sure. Let's break my back again."

"I'm not that heavy," she defended.

"You aren't feather-light either," he pointed out.

"Can we move on?" Sam asked over his shoulder, walking towards the building. The couple shared a look, shrugged, and then followed him inside. The place looked scary, even during the day. The walls were dirty, the doors were mostly shut, and the windows had been painted black, preventing any daylight to enter. Lyra stayed close to Dean as usual, clutching his arm for support.

"So apparently, the cops chased the kids here - into the south wing," Sam said, pointing to a signboard.

"The south wing, huh? Wait a second." Dean took out John's journal and read from a certain page. "In 1972, three kids broke into the south wing. Only one survived. The way he tells it, one of his friends went nuts and started lighting up the place."

"So, whatever's going on, south wing seems like the heart of it," Sam deduced.

"Yeah, but if kids are spelunking the asylum, why aren't there a ton more deaths?" Dean asked, steadying Lyra as she stumbled over some junk piece of iron.

"Looks like the doors are usually chained," Sam remarked, noticing the chains and locks on the doors. "Could have been chained up for years."

"Yeah, to keep people out or to keep something in," Dean commented somberly. Sam gave him a look and then gave a light push to the door, which marked the entrance to the south wing. The door opened with a creepy sound, like the one you'd hear in horror movies. There was a long hallway ahead of them.

Dean took out his EMF reader and started searching for any signs. "Let me know if you see any dead people, Haley Joel," he teased Sam.

"Dude, enough!" Sam sounded exasperated. Lyra rolled her eyes at the telltale signs of upcoming bickering. 'Here they go again,' she thought.

"No, I'm serious, you've gotta be careful, all right?" Dean laughed lightly, amused by Sam's reactions. "Ghosts are attracted to that whole ESP thing you two have got going on."

"I told you, it's not ESP. I just have strange vibes sometimes, weird dreams," Sam reasoned, his voice defensive.

"Which in Dean's small dictionary would be classified under ESP," Lyra remarked, earning a grateful smile from Sam. He appreciated how she never always sided with Dean, even when she clearly was attached to him more. She had an independent opinion, not at all influenced by her affection for Dean.

"Yeah, whatever; don't ask, don't tell." Dean dismissed the matter, concentrating on the device he was holding.

"You getting a reading on that thing or not?" Sam asked, relieved to have the topic of his psychic abilities shut for now.

"Nope. Of course, it doesn't mean nobody's home," Dean reminded.

"Spirits can't appear during certain hours of the day," Sam added with a nod.

"Yeah, the freaks come out at night," Dean said in agreement.

"Then what are you doing out in the day?" Lyra joked, laughing at his bitter expression. Sam also chuckled at his expense, enjoying the way Lyra could tease his brother.

But Dean wasn't one to admit defeat that easily. He turned to Sam and spoke in his most serious voice, "Hey Sam, who do you think is a hotter psychic - Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Love Hewitt, or you?"

Sam made a bitch-face and pushed him, making him laugh. Dean felt proud of himself that he could at least get back to Sam. Lyra was a difficult target for him as they were on equal footing when it came to retorting. They entered into some door labeled examination room where there were various kinds of equipments lying around.

"Man. Electroshock, lobotomies - they did some twisted stuff to these people," Dean commented, poking at some devices. "Kind of like my man, Jack in Cuckoo's Nest." He made a twisted, crazy face, grinning at them. Sam ignored him but Lyra reacted the way he wanted. She laughed lightly and shook her head, just to keep him from feeling ignored.

"You should keep your craziness in check, Dean. Or it might attract the ghosts of this mental asylum," she said, leaving no chance to mock him.

"Don't you think you're enjoying yourself a little too much?" Dean asked her, making a face.

"That I am," she responded with a huge smile.

"Must be the familiar environment," he remarked, gesturing around them with a smirk. She pouted and hit him on the arm, making Sam chuckle at their banter.

"So, what do you think? Ghosts are possessing people?" Dean asked, getting serious.

"Maybe. Or maybe it's more like, uh, like Amityville or the Smurl haunting," Sam replied, frowning at his surroundings.

"Kind of like my man - Jack in The Shining," Dean said, smiling.

"You saw the movie or read the book?" Lyra questioned him.

"Watched the movie," he answered. "And I loved when Jack stuck his head through the door."

"Of course you'll go for the easier way." She shook her head in disappointment.

"Dean…when are we gonna talk about it?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"Talk about what?"

"About the fact that Dad's not here," Sam replied, avoiding eye contact.

"Oh, I see. How about… never?" Dean gave him a warning look.

"I'm being serious, man," Sam insisted. Lyra looked between the two, debating on whether she should step in or not.

"So am I, Sam," Dean stated. "Look, he sent us here, he obviously wants us here. We'll just have to pick up the search later."

"It doesn't matter what he wants," Sam argued, resisting the urge to pull his hair out.

"See, that attitude right there?" Dean said. "That is why I always get the extra cookie."

"You get the extra cookie for being an obedient follower, Dean," Lyra spoke up. "Not for being a good son."

Dean stared at her in mild shock while Sam smiled smugly, "See? Even she agrees with me."

"And arguing at every step of the way is also not right, Sam," she commented with a stern look. Now it was Dean's turn to be smug.

"Uh yeah, well," Sam stuttered and blurted out whatever was on his mind to cover up. "Dad could be in trouble. We should be looking for him. We deserve some answers, I mean; this is our family we're talking about."

"I understand that, Sam. But he's given us an order," Dean reasoned and Lyra threw up her hands in resignation.

"So, what? We've got to always follow Dad's orders?" Sam challenged.

Dean threw him a 'duh' look. "Of course we do." He shook his head and went back to searching around. "Sanford Ellicott," he read from a name plate. "You know what we've got to do? We've gotta find out more about the south wing, and see if something happened here." Dean walked out of there, followed by Lyra, leaving Sam to stare at the name with a bitter face.

They went to Dr. James Ellicott, Stanford Ellicott's son, to gather more info. Sam posed as a patient and they booked an appointment for him with the psychiatrist. Dean and Lyra waited outside while he was seeing the doctor.

"You took your meds today?" Dean asked, sitting beside Lyra on the not so comfortable chair.

"Yeah, Dean, remember you made me swallow them in the morning? After breakfast?" she asked with a roll of her eyes. She might act like his over-caring annoyed her, but in reality she was touched that he didn't forget her medication. In fact, she would miss her dose if not for his constant reminders.

"Just making sure," he replied, fiddling with the Impala keys.

"Thanks," she said, a smile making its way on her face.

"No problem," he responded, flashing a smile of his own.

She sighed and placed her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "I'm tired."

"I know, it's been a long day." He settled back to make her comfortable and rested his own head on top of hers, trying to relax himself. He knew Sam would give him a hard time if he saw them like that, but for once he didn't care. They were married for God's sake; and who would he find solace in, if not his own wife?

After a while, Dean heard the door to the doctor's cabin open and so, he opened his eyes to see Sam walking out. "Dude, you were in there forever. What the hell were you talking about?"

"Just the hospital, you know," Sam answered, raising an eyebrow at them. Dean ignored his look and urged him to go on. Beside him, Lyra slowly lifted her head from his shoulder and yawned.

"And the south wing," Sam continued. "That's where they housed the real hard cases - the psychotics, the criminally insane."

"Sounds cozy," Dean commented.

"Yeah, and one night in '64, they rioted - attacked staff, attacked each other," Sam told him.

"So, the patients took over the asylum?" Dean questioned, getting a nod in answer. "Any deaths?"

"Some patients, some staff," Sam replied. "I guess it was pretty gory. Some of the bodies were never even recovered, including our Chief of Staff, Ellicott."

"Wait, what do you mean, 'never recovered'?" Dean asked, his mind getting alert.

"Cops scoured every inch of the place, but I guess the patients must have… stuffed the bodies somewhere hidden," Sam said.

"Oh, that's grim," Dean remarked

"Huh, didn't know crazies have brains," Lyra commented. "Oh, sorry, you're a walking example." She grinned at Dean, who smiled at her amusement.

"Yeah, so, they transferred all the surviving patients and shut down the hospital for good," Sam added further.

"All right, so, to sum it up, we've got a bunch of violent deaths and a bunch of unrecovered bodies," Dean concluded, meeting Sam's gaze.

"Which could mean a bunch of angry spirits," Sam pointed out.

"Oh, good times." Dean stood up, offering a hand to Lyra. "Let's check out the hospital tonight."

"I'm taking a nap in the meantime," Lyra declared, taking the offered hand. "Need to gear up for the action."


	20. Asylum 2

The trio once again went to the deserted mental hospital. If it looked spooky in the daylight, then it looked absolutely haunting in the darkness of the moonless night. It was past midnight and Lyra had gotten her share of sleep to make it through the hunt. Sam was holding a video camera to capture orb activities while Dean stuck with his EMF meter to guide him. Lyra walked beside them, flashlight in hand, to lead the way.

"Getting readings?" Sam asked Dean, turning the camera around to sweep every direction.

"Yeah, big time," Dean replied, holding out his left hand which held the meter. Lyra could see its light flashing wildly, almost in harmony with the buzzing sound it made. She clutched Dean's right arm tighter. Being in the same place as some crazed ghosts made her anxious.

"This place is orbing like crazy," Sam remarked. He turned the camera around, pointing the screen towards them, to let them have a look. Lyra squinted at the display and true enough, she could see small white spheres floating around.

"There's probably multiple spirits out and about," Dean said, slightly scowling at the camera. The idea of so many spirits unnerved him too.

"If these unrecovered bodies are causing the haunting…" Sam trailed off, noting another orb passing by.

"We've gotta find 'em and burn 'em," Dean finished. "Just be careful, though. The only thing that makes me more nervous than a pissed-off spirit…" he paused to glance at Lyra, who was flashing light at her surroundings, "is the pissed-off spirit of a psycho killer."

They went through door after door to find the bodies they would have to burn. The adrenaline rushing in her body made Lyra more alert. Her mind was registering every movement and every sound near her, to the point where she was whipping her head around to look out for possible threat.

"You're spooked," Dean stated, sweeping a gaze across the room they had entered. Sam had gone in a different direction to save time, leaving them together.

"Spooked doesn't cover it," she said, crushing his arm with the death grip she had on it. "Freaking out would be better."

He laughed lightly, keeping in mind their surroundings. "Nah, you are in control. Not the worst it could have been. Spooked is good enough."

She smiled in response, sticking close by his side. "This place really gives me the creep."

Dean was about to say something back when they heard Sam's shout. They both took off in his direction with Dean fumbling in the duffle they were carrying, for shotguns. Upon reaching they found him face to face with a white haired, ugly looking woman.

"Sam, get down!" Dean yelled, shotgun in hand. He shot the woman's ghost with rock salt, just when Sam ducked out of the way, making it disappear.

"That was weird," Sam remarked. He stood up with his eyes searching for more ghosts that might have popped up. Lyra had pressed her body close to Dean, feeling the safest near him.

"Yeah. You're telling me," Dean said, taking one last look around. He turned and headed out of the room, taking Lyra with him. "Why are you so jumpy today?" he asked her with worry underlining his voice.

"Blame the female hormones," she whispered. And that was actually true. She wasn't one to be afraid of the dark or creepy noises but today she couldn't stop the growing fear within her. It wasn't irrational, as there was a reason to be afraid, a big one, but she had kept her act together on so many hunts, so why was this any different? The answer lay in the various bio-chemicals that control the working of a human mind. Lyra often wondered how human hormones can affect a person's reaction to a certain situation so drastically.

"No, I mean it was weird that she didn't attack me," Sam explained as he caught up with them.

"Looked pretty agro from where we were standing," Dean replied, giving him an incredulous and confused look.

"She didn't hurt me. She didn't even try," Sam clarified further. "So if she didn't wanna hurt me, then what did she want?"

Dean ignored his brother and instead resumed his conversation with Lyra. Squeezing her hand, he reassured, "I'm right here. Nothing will happen to you. Try to relax." He finished with a smile, which elicited a nervous smile on her face.

"Easier said than done," she replied in a hushed voice. She met his gaze with a nervous one of her own but then averted her eyes to watch her steps. Her coordination was a little off with her bandaged foot.

"Why are you whispering?" he asked in the same quiet voice as hers, leaning down to speak right in her ear.

"Someone might listen," she answered. "We don't want to attract attention, do we?"

"Yeah, right," he chuckled and placed a kiss on her temple. He gently freed his arm from her grip, to place it around her shoulders. Sam was walking ahead of them, so he didn't notice. But then again, Dean was starting to care less about what his brother would think. It was about time he started living without any restraints.

They walked in silence until they heard a noise from the room they were passing. Dean quickly took out his shotgun, positioning himself in front of Lyra. She peered from behind him to illuminate the room with the flashlight she was holding. Dean and Sam nodded at each other and entered the room cautiously. They spotted a metal bed in the corner, the only thing to hide behind in the room, and Sam slowly approached it. Taking a breath, he pushed the bed away, only to reveal a frightened blond girl. She was huddled in the corner and upon seeing them there, she shrank even farther back.

"It's all right. We're not gonna hurt you. It's okay," Dean reassured the girl, moving to help her up. "What's your name?"

"Katherine – Kat," she replied in a shaky voice.

"Okay. I'm Dean, this is Lyra and Sam," Dean introduced and Lyra gave her a small smile.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked, leaving all formalities behind. And well, you can't be polite when in grave danger.

"Um… my boyfriend, Gavin," Kat said nervously, trying to form coherent sentences.

"Is he here?" Dean questioned, trying to decide who was more crazy- the ghosts or the young couple.

"Somewhere," she answered, glancing around as if he would be right there. "He thought it would be fun to try and see some ghosts. I thought it was all just, you know…pretend. I've seen things. I heard Gavin scream and—"

"Okay, Kat, come on. Sam's gonna get you out of here, while we search for your boyfriend," Dean instructed, involuntarily tilting his head in Lyra's direction to clarify the meaning of 'we'.

"No, no. I'm not gonna leave without Gavin," Kat argued. "I'm coming with you."

"It's no joke around here, okay?" Dean reasoned. "It's dangerous."

"That's why I've gotta find him," she justified and Lyra stifled a chuckle. The girl's boyfriend was missing and instead of getting the hell out of that place, she was going to search for him. But then Lyra realized something, if Dean was missing would she not try to find him? But that may be because she couldn't afford separation from him; though deep down she knew the reason won't be solely that.

"All right, I guess we're gonna split up then." Dean's voice held resignation on the matter. Everyone except Kat knew who was going with whom, so Sam led her away while Dean and Lyra went in another direction.

"People's definition of fun is twisted nowadays," Dean remarked as they walked down another dark hallway. "I mean who takes his girlfriend to a haunted asylum for fun?"

"Why do you watch horror movies then?" Lyra asked rhetorically. "What else are youngsters supposed to do for fun?"

"I can think of a few ways," Dean said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Lyra made a face and shoved him lightly, "You Dean, are never going to change."

"But still you like me the way I am," he responded without missing a beat.

"That's because I know you 'changing' will mean worse than now," she retorted just as quickly.

"So you accept I'm better," he stated rather than ask, stopping at a half-open door. Lyra didn't get a chance to reply as they found an unconscious boy on the floor inside. They crouched beside him and tried to wake him up.

Gavin woke with a start and frantically searched for an escape, thinking of them as a threat. "Who are you?" he asked in a panicked voice.

"Dean and Lyra," Dean said, pointing a finger at him and Lyra in turn, not trusting Gavin's senses yet. "We found your girlfriend."

"Kat?" Gavin asked, standing up. "Is she alright?"

"As alright as she'll be," Dean replied. "When her boyfriend took her to a haunted asylum for a date," he added for good measure.

Lyra shook her head and butted in as well, "And when that boyfriend also left her alone in that creepy place."

Gavin's face held a guilty expression and he quickly defended himself, "I didn't leave her alone on purpose. I think I fell while running and passed out."

"You were running from what?" Dean asked.

"There was… there was this girl," he hesitated, as though not believing his own answer. "Her face - it was all messed up."

"Did she try to hurt you?" Lyra asked, getting serious.

"What? No. She, uh…" Gavin stopped abruptly.

"She what?" Dean sounded annoyed, not liking to have to prompt him to continue at every step.

"She kissed me," he replied with a grimace and Lyra shuddered at the thought of being kissed by a dead guy.

"What a shitty choice," Dean muttered, audible only to Lyra, standing beside him

"Would you rather she had kissed you?" Lyra whispered back.

"At least we'd known that she was a smart dead chick," Dean said, leaning down to her level. Then he spoke louder, "Though she didn't hurt you, did she?"

"Dude, she kissed me!" Gavin exclaimed incredulously. "I'm scarred for life."

"Well then, don't tell your girlfriend that," Dean commented.

"Do you remember anything else?" Lyra asked, keeping her amusement in check.

"She…actually, she tried to whisper something in my ear," the boy replied.

"Not dirty things I hope," Dean remarked with his trademark smirk, causing Lyra to chuckle. Gavin glared at him, clearly not amused by his words.

"What did she say?" Lyra asked for the sake of the hunt.

"I don't know, I ran like hell," he answered.

"Aw, you missed your chance at necrophilia," Dean mocked again. Lyra couldn't control her laughter but she smacked his head nonetheless.

"Give the poor guy a break," she chided.

"Got your mind off the fear," he shrugged. "At his expense or not, it's acceptable enough to me."

"Oh." She was speechless. It never occurred to her that he was doing that to cheer her up. Not to harass the already frightened guy. She smiled and thanked her lucky stars to have him with her.

Suddenly they heard a scream and without sparing a moment took off in its direction. Lyra was a little behind as her leg wouldn't cooperate. Dean slowed down for her but she pushed him ahead. He didn't speed up, instead took her hand, and supported her to go faster.

"What's going on?" Dean asked Sam as they reached him. He was standing in front of a closed door while Kat was no where in sight.

"She's inside with one of them," Sam replied, trying to open it.

"Get me out of here!" Kat yelled from inside.

"A spirit kissed Gavin instead of hurting him," Lyra said urgently to Sam. "There's something up here."

Sam's mind worked in overdrive and a moment later his face lit with realization. "Kat, it's not gonna hurt you," Sam shouted at the door. "Listen to me! You have to face it. You have to calm down."

"She's gotta what?" Dean asked with disbelieving eyes.

"I have to what?" Kat called back, sounding utterly panicked.

"The spirits - they're not trying to hurt us, they're trying to communicate," Sam explained. "You've gotta listen to it, you've gotta face it."

"You face it!" was the reply from the other side.

"No, it's the only way you're gonna get out of there," Sam reasoned. "Just look at it, that's all. Come on, you can do it."

All was silent for a moment, waiting for Kat to respond in some way. But then Dean spoke up, "Man, I hope you're right about this."

"Yeah, me too," Sam replied nervously.

"Kat!" Gavin breathed a sigh of relief when the door opened and she walked out.

"One thirty-seven," Kat stated in a shaky voice. "It whispered in my ear, '137'."

"Room number," Sam and Dean said simultaneously.

"All right, so if these spirits aren't trying to hurt anyone…" Sam started.

"Then what are they trying to do?" Dean cut in, finishing for Sam.

"Maybe that's what they've been trying to tell us," Sam put forward.

"I guess we'll find out," Dean said with a tone of finality. "So now, are you guys ready to leave this place?"

"That's an understatement," Kat remarked, standing by Gavin, hand in hand.

"Okay. You get 'em out of here," Dean told Sam. "We're gonna go find room 137."

They all parted ways yet again and moved towards their respective destinations. Dean and Lyra searched for room 137, walking back towards where they had found Gavin.

"You alright?" Dean asked as he noticed her limping walk.

"Remind me to never run when having a sprained foot," she replied with a wince. Dean immediately tightened his hold on her hand.

"Sorry," he said helplessly. He couldn't say things like, 'should have left you at the motel', because they both knew it wasn't possible.

"It isn't your fault," she muttered, knowing he'll keep blaming himself but needing to let him know.

They found the desired room and Dean pushed it open with efforts. The room looked like a tornado passed through it; everything was lying around in a mess. Stained walls, filing cabinets on the floor, and papers were strewn everywhere. They made their way in, shining flashlights around. Lyra spotted a chair and dropped down on it, letting her foot to breathe a little. Dean continued to look through the folders and after a while, yanked a loose plank to reveal a stack of papers.

"This is why I get paid the big bucks," he boasted, pulling a chair beside her.

"What have you got?" Lyra asked, taking a few papers away from him to read for herself.

"Stuff," he said distractedly. After few moments of silent reading he spoke again, "Well, all work and no play makes Dr. Ellicott a very dull boy."

"Experimenting on mental patients?" Lyra wondered. "That's some serious psycho thing to do."

"So we gotta torch the doc now, huh?" Dean remarked. "Let's get to work then."

"Where would we find the corpse?" she asked.

"Good question. Come on," he replied, standing up.

They were walking towards the exit, hoping to intercept Sam on his way back, when they heard voices round the corner. They cautiously went to check out and before Lyra could so as much put one foot around the turn, Dean pulled her back. They heard a shot and Dean poked his head around.

"Damn it!" he yelled. "Don't shoot, it's me!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Kat called, lowering the shotgun.

"Son of a bitch! What are you still doing here?" Dean asked, helping Lyra to regain her footing. "Where's Sam?"

"He went to the basement," Gavin answered. "You called him."

"I didn't call anybody," Dean denied, looking bewildered.

"His cell phone rang. He said it was you," Kat explained.

"Basement, huh?" Dean asked, getting two nods in answer. "All right then. Watch yourselves."

Dean and Lyra went towards the stairs with Lyra groaning all the while. All the walking and running had taken a toll on her foot and now it was screaming with pain. She sat down on one of the stairs and Dean turned to pin her with a concerned look.

"I'm alright. You go ahead, I'll be right behind," she told him but he didn't move.

"I'm not leaving you here," he stated simply.

"Dean, just go find Sam," she argued. "I won't take long, I promise."

"You sure?" he asked with raised eyebrows. He was torn between staying with her and going to find Sam, who was undoubtedly tricked by the doctor.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she assured, waving the shotgun in front of her.

With one final glance Dean went down the stairs. Lyra sat there for a few minutes more, trying to win over the pain. It would be a difficult task to make it down the steps but it needed to be done. She took a deep breath and stood up, bracing herself to get it over with. She took one stair at a time, taking support of the railing. When she finally made it to the flat floor of the basement, she followed the brothers' voices to reach the room they were in.

"I don't know, it sounds kinda..." Sam was saying as she entered.

"Crazy?" Dean turned to look at his brother and that was when he saw her. "Oh thank God you made it. I was going to come for you."

"Told you I won't be long," she said breathily.

"Is it too painful?" he asked worriedly, going to her side. Her out of breath state and pain contorted face was ringing bells for him.

"I'm fine. Just worked up," she replied. "Should we not find the body?"

"Oh yeah, come on." Dean led her into another room, beckoning Sam to follow.

"I told you I looked everywhere. I didn't find a hidden room," Sam said, sounding a little off.

"Well, that's why they call it hidden..." Dean commented, listening in on some noise. "You hear that?"

"What?" Sam questioned.

"Sound of wind," Lyra answered him. "There's hollow space beyond that."

"True, a hidden door," Dean agreed, crouching down to feel the wind on his hands.

"Dean," Sam called, pointing his gun at him. "Step back from the door."

"Sam, put the gun down," Dean said calmly, warning Lyra with his eyes to stay back.

"Is that an order?" Sam asked, a trickle of blood running down his nose.

"Nah, it's more of a friendly request," Dean replied while Lyra watched from her position a few feet away. She wanted to do something but Dean's warning glance and her inability to walk properly stopped her.

"Cause I'm getting pretty tired of taking your orders," Sam stated.

"I knew it. Ellicott did something to you," Dean remarked, trying to find a way out of this.

"For once in your life just shut your mouth," Sam said irritably and Lyra wished for Dean to shut up. 'Can't he see the guy is holding a gun?' she thought incredulously.

"What are you gonna do Sam? Gun's filled with rock salt. It's not gonna kill me." Just when Dean finished his sentence, Sam shot him in the chest, making him go through the hidden door and land with a loud thud.

"Dean!" Lyra screamed and rushed forward to help him.

"Oh no, stop right there," Sam warned, turning the gun at her.

She froze mid step, turning her gaze on him, "Go on. Shoot me."

"You sure? Cause even salt rounds can be lethal," he reminded, pointing the gun to her head level. "You just need to strike the right nerve."

She gulped loudly. She knew he was right; some nerves in human brain are sensitive and if hit hard, might cause death. They both heard Dean groan and so, turned their attention on him.

"We gotta burn Ellicott's bones and all this will be over, and you'll be back to normal, Sam," Dean said in a pained voice.

"I am normal. I'm just telling the truth for the first time. I mean, why are we even here! Cause you're following dad's orders like a good little solider? Because you always do what he says without question? Are you that desperate for his approval?"

"And you," Sam turned to Lyra. "The moment you came into his life, you changed him. He isn't the same brother I knew him to be. His world revolves around you now. Not me. He dedicated every second of his life to me until your shadow darkened his life. And now, everything is about you. He doesn't give a shit about me now. All because of you."

Lyra thought over what he had said. Was he really jealous of her? Did he think that she was stealing his brother from him?

"This isn't you talking Sam," Dean tried to divert his attention from her.

"That's the difference between you and me," Sam turned back to him. "I have a mind, of my own. I'm not pathetic, like you."

"So what are you gonna do, huh? Are you gonna kill me?" Dean challenged.

"You know what, I am sick of doing what you tell me to do. We're no closer to finding dad today than we were 5 months ago," Sam replied.

"Well then here. Let me make it easier for you." Dean held out his real gun to Sam, and a wide-eyed Lyra took a step forward. "Come on. Take it. Real bullets are gonna work a hell of a lot better than rock salt. Take it!" Dean urged Sam while Lyra watched in horror as Sam took the gun from him.

"No!" she cried, limping forward to do something, anything.

"Stay back, Lyra," Dean warned her, meeting her eyes. Something in them made her trust him, and so she fell silent. He wasn't going to fail her like that. He knew her life depended on his.

"You hate me that much. You think you could kill your own brother? Then go ahead. Pull the trigger. Do it!" he shouted at Sam.

Lyra held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut as Sam pulled the trigger. But nothing happened. He tried again but the chamber was empty. She opened her eyes just in time to see Dean punch Sam, making him fall on the ground.

"Man, I'm not going to give you a loaded pistol!" Dean told him and hit him one more time to knock him out.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked her, helping her down on a chair in the other room. There was no place to sit inside the hidden chamber, save for a broken chair.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Though you two totally scared me. Does it hurt?" She placed her hand on the dark mark on his jacket.

He smiled, "I'll live. I need to burn the bones. Will you stay here?"

"Yeah, I'm not much of a help right now," she answered. "I'll be fine. Hurry up."

He nodded and moved to search the body. Lyra pulled her legs up and put her head on her knees. She wanted nothing but to sleep through the day now. She knew she should have gone to help Dean but the exhaustion was winning over senses. She was better out of the way right now. What felt like just seconds later to her, someone shook her awake.

"Hey, time to go." Dean smiled down at her and she could see Sam behind him.

"Is it over?" she asked, pulling herself to her feet.

"Yeah, torched that sucker," he replied, giving her a hand. She smiled sleepily and let him take her out.

Once outside, Kat broke the silence that had descended on them. "Thanks, guys."

"Yeah, thanks," Gavin nodded.

"No more haunted asylums, okay?" Dean reminded them. They both nodded and with a wave of goodbye, drove off in their car.

"Hey," Sam said to catch their attention. "I'm sorry. I said some awful things back there."

"You remember all that?" Dean asked surprised.

"Yeah," Sam confirmed. "It's like I couldn't control it. But I didn't mean it," he turned to Lyra "any of it."

"You didn't, huh?" Dean asked him, more upset by the things he had said to Lyra.

"No, of course not," Sam replied. "Do we need to talk about this?"

"No. I'm not really in the sharing, caring kind of mood," Dean said, opening the backdoor for Lyra. "I just wanna get some sleep."

"It's alright Sam," she assured him, getting in her seat. Sam smiled slightly at her, grateful that she had accepted his apology.

On the short trip back to the motel, Lyra fell asleep on the backseat. So, when Dean and Sam got out of the car after parking it, Dean motioned for his brother to proceed to the room. When Sam was gone, he opened the backseat door and gently shook her awake. She opened her eyes slowly and took in her surroundings. When it successfully registered in her brain that they were back at the motel, she moved to get out. Dean stepped aside to let her out but stopped her before she could even take a step towards their room. She turned around, silent questions in her slightly puffy eyes from the sleep.

"Happy Birthday," he said with a soft smile. And the first thing she did was to look at her wristwatch which displayed the date too.

"Oh, it's 21st already," she muttered, trying to find the reason why she had forgotten her own birthday. But that meant Dean had remembered. "How do you know my birthday?"

"You told me," he replied. "On the day after we first met…" he stopped himself, about to say 'our first day as an officially married couple'.

She concentrated hard on her memories of that day. Sure she had told him that when they had breakfast in a diner but the question was, how did he remember that? Dean understood what her incredulous expression meant and so launched into an explanation.

"The fact that our anniversary and your birthday are exactly six months apart stuck with me," he told her. "Your birthday falls on 21st March while we got married on 21st September."

"And you remembered the day of our wedding?" She raised a suspicious eyebrow. She had thought that he wanted to forget the fact that they were married, along with its details. So why would he not forget their wedding date?

"How can I forget the date on which my life changed?" His expression was one of incredulity. He'd accept all accusations but this was unfathomable. That date was highlighted in his mind.

"For good?" she asked with a serious expression. When he didn't reply for a second, her hopes plummeted but then he nodded.

"For good," he answered with a smile. Without wasting any more time, he pulled out a box from inside his jacket. Lyra watched curiously with a grin which had broken out on her face after hearing his answer. He opened the box and took out a silver chain with a pendant hanging at its base. "Your gift," he said, offering the necklace to her.

She crossed her arms and put on a challenging face. "You didn't let me buy you a gift on your birthday. Why should I accept this then?"

"Uh… I didn't need anything," he offered uncertainly.

"Neither do I," she shot back, but her eyes strayed to the necklace he was holding. And her first thought on it was, 'gorgeous'.

"Alright then, I'll return it," he said, hiding his knowing smirk.

"No!" She snatched the chain out of his hand, holding it tightly in her grip. "Where did you get this, by the way?"

"From an antique shop," he replied. "We were just passing through while you were asleep. Stumbled upon it by chance, thought it'll look good on you." He wasn't telling the truth. He had, in fact, purposely searched for a shop to buy her something.

She turned the necklace in her hands, tracing the silver oval shaped pendant. It was simple with a green oval stone embedded at its center, resembling her eye color. And what appeared to be design around the stone on silver oval was actually some writing. "What does this mean? Latin right?" She looked up at him, pointing to the carvings on the pendant.

"Yeah, it's a protection spell," he replied. "It'll keep you from getting spellbound by witches. An anti-curse spell, you can say."

Her smile widened at his witty choice for a gift. He could have chosen any other protective thing which would have safeguarded her against demon or ghost possession, but he chose the one which made her immune to curses. But then a thought came to her mind.

"Will it break my curse?" she asked in a small voice. She couldn't hide the sadness in her voice when she spoke. She wished for the answer to be 'no'. She didn't even want to think what would happen if they found a way to free her. 'Would he leave me when I no longer need him?' she thought. Her greatest fear was to be alone in the world but now that she looked closer, it was loosing him that she feared the most.

"No," he breathed with something akin to relief. He wasn't sure if he was ready to leave her yet. In fact, he didn't know if he'll ever be ready to go on without her. "Can I?" he gestured to the silver chain in her hands. She nodded quickly and handed him the necklace, turning around to let him clasp it behind her neck.

Her thoughts once again wandered to the 'what if?' questions. Would they really part ways if they find a remedy to her predicament? Would he want to? She hoped not. It was true that initially she only stayed with him to stay alive but what about now? She accepted now, that she wasn't dependent on him to remain alive but to live. She had kind of ceased to live when her parents died. She would rarely laugh or cry or enjoy life in general. But when he came around, just his presence gave her hope. She started laughing again by cracking stupid jokes at him. She now could freely cry as there was a shoulder to support her. She wasn't alone anymore as Dean needed to be with her. And above all, she felt loved. After so many months without her loving parents, she had someone who cared deeply about her.

"It accentuates your eyes," Dean remarked, looking at her with an appraising eye. "You look beautiful."

His compliment made Lyra blush while he took her hand and led her inside, unaware of the emotional turmoil going in her head. Her thoughts took her to analyze what her feelings meant. She believed that love isn't different in the various relationships of a person. It stays the same, only the way of expressing it changes. And she had been bereft of the love she shared with her parents, but now she could feel it again. It was in a way different from a parent-child love but still, the feeling was the same. And now she realized that she was in love. With the man she was married to. A man, who she hoped, loved her back.

**A/N: So guys? How was this part of Asylum? Hope you liked it. Please review and let me know your opinion. I'll try to update soon. And thanks a lot for your support.**


	21. Faith 1

**A/N: A huge thanks to all those who reviewed. I skipped Scarecrow and I hope everyone's okay with it. I wrote Faith instead, a chapter we all were waiting for. Hope you enjoy**.

Lyra had her iPod plugged in and she was nodding her head with the beat. Music was one thing which could calm her nerves. And she needed it right now because they were going to hunt down another monster. It had been over two weeks since she accepted her feelings towards Dean but was too shy to confess them. But she also didn't know what he thought about her. If she had told him how she felt and he wasn't yet ready to face his own growing ones, then it would have ruined things as they were. She was content with his pace and how things between them were progressing. She had no reason to rush it up as they had a long time ahead of them.

The Impala jerked to a halt and the brothers got out, going straight to the trunk. That was her cue to cut off her favorite song and get out. She joined them at the rear of the car and saw Dean handing out a taser to Sam.

"What do you got these amped up to?" Sam asked.

"A hundred thousand volts," Dean answered, holding out another for Lyra to take.

"Damn." "Whoa." Sam and Lyra said at the same time, checking out their own guns.

"Yeah, I want this raw-head extra freaking crispy," Dean explained. "And remember, you only get one shot with these things. So make it count."

"Jeez, talk about easy," Lyra muttered.

"You won't be using it. It's just for safety for you." Dean smirked at her, turning to go inside.

"Yeah, because of my sucky aim, I won't try my luck." Lyra laughed at herself.

"No. It's because you won't be anywhere near that bastard," Dean replied, glancing back at her.

"Sure, you never let me in line of danger, lion," she huffed. "You overprotect me, you know that?"

"My job description, remember?" he said, winking at her.

Sam smiled at their usual banter and headed inside. But a part of him was hurting. Somewhere inside him, he knew he could have been the one bantering with his brother. Now, most of the time it was just Lyra and Dean; teasing and taunting each other. Sam felt left out. But he wouldn't hold it against her. Dean deserved to be happy and she was the one who defined his happiness. So Sam stopped the jealous thoughts right on their destructive path and tried to feel happy for them. After all, didn't he always complain about being babied? Now that Dean had granted him his wish, there was no need to sulk about lack of attention.

Inside the house, the trio silently descended the stairs to the basement, flashlight in hand, gun at the ready. They heard some noise from a cupboard nearby and with a nod of confirmation from all, they moved towards it.

"On count of three," Dean whispered to the others. "One, two, three." He opened the door to find a boy and a girl inside, cowering in fear.

"Is it still here?" Sam asked the children, keeping his voice low, receiving nods in reply.

"Ok, grab your sister's hand. Come on, we gotta get you out of here," Dean ordered urgently. They started towards the stairs. "Let's go. Go!"

Sam was leading the frightened kids up the stairs when a rough hand grabbed his leg, taking him down. Dean and Lyra watched in horror while the kids took off with a scream. Dean shot his taser but missed by an inch.

"Sam, get them out of here," he shouted, then turned his gaze on Lyra. "Lyra, go!"

Sam tossed his own gun at him. "Here take this!" He didn't wait for Lyra to follow and climbed up to take the children outside.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said seriously, her tone leaving no room for arguments. Dean met her eyes and sure, he could see the determination there.

Without another word, they started searching for the raw-head. But they didn't have to look for long as the raw head jumped on Dean, shoving him into Lyra, who staggered backwards and braced herself against a wall. She watched as Dean quickly moved to pick up his gun from the floor, where it must have been tossed aside when the creature had tackled them. But to her horror, she noticed that Dean was standing in a puddle of water, which meant that if he electrocuted the raw-head, he'd get fried too. Without thinking twice, she dashed towards him. And it was one of those moments when even though it happens within a matter of seconds, it feels like slow motion.

She crashed into him just when he was aiming for the creature's ugly face. He lost his balance due to the sudden impact and stumbled out of the puddle of dirty water. But the trigger had been pulled. And somehow, it didn't miss its intended target. Dean looked up from his position on the floor and saw the raw-head twitching and falling to the ground but then his eyes found Lyra. And for a second, it seemed that their eyes met and she smiled in relief, before collapsing to the floor herself. He stared at her body lying in the puddle, seeming lifeless. For a minute he couldn't comprehend what had happened; all he could see was her pale body. Then as a crushing wave of tsunami, it hit him – she had been electrocuted.

He scrambled over to her side, cold sweat drenching his clothes. With a trembling hand, he brushed a few strands of her hair out of her face. Her face was ashen white, as if all blood had left her system. The usually invisible circles under her eyes had darkened twenty shades. Just the sight of her threw Dean on the verge of tears. He placed her head in his lap, all the while frantically calling her name.

"Please kitten. Wake up!" He tried shaking her but even he knew it was of no avail. He checked her pulse and when he stilled his trembling hands, he could feel the feeble beat of her heart.

"Dean!" Sam's voice filtered in his brain through his hazy senses and he glanced up to see his brother standing in the doorway.

"Sammy!" he cried, panic making his voice rise in pitch.

With a gasp of shock, Sam saw the reason of Dean's terror-stricken expression. "Oh God!" He strode forward and crouched beside them.

"Sammy," Dean whimpered again. And one look at his face told Sam that he wasn't in a position to think rationally. So Sam quickly took matters in his own hands and got up to call an ambulance.

"The paramedics will be here in no time," Sam told him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We need to get her out of here."

Dean nodded silently and scrambled up to gather her in his arms. He carried her out of the unfortunate place and laid her down on the backseat to wait for the ambulance.

"Dean, you need to keep it together man," Sam said, looking at him worriedly. Dean lifted his eyes from Lyra's still figure and gazed up at him. "She needs you."

Dean turned his eyes back to her and for a second, Sam thought his words fell on deaf ears but then Dean straightened up. His jaw set in determination and Sam could see a new emotion in his eyes; protectiveness. He wasn't going to let her die. Not now. Not ever.

"I'll drive the Impala to the hospital," Sam said as he saw the ambulance pulling up in front of them.

"Yeah, alright," Dean replied as he lifted Lyra from the backseat.

Dean rode in the ambulance beside her, clutching her hand in his. He wanted to feel that she was still there; that he still had hope of saving her. Within minutes they were at the hospital. The nurses rushed Lyra in, towards the ER. Somewhere along the way, from the entrance to the door to the ER, a doctor had joined them. When Dean didn't stop at the door to the ER, the doctor blocked his way.

"You can't go in," he said urgently.

"The hell I'm not," Dean roared, pushing past the doctor to go in.

"Please Sir, you can't come in," he stopped him once again. "There are rules."

"Screw the rules," Dean replied irritatingly. "I'm going in. Period."

"Don't make me call the guards," the doctor threatened.

Dean took a deep breath. There was no point in arguing here and delay her treatment. But he also couldn't leave her to die inside. "Listen doc. You do your work while I do mine. We both want her to survive. And believe me; she won't make it if I'm not there. So, please."

"But-" the doctor started to argue.

"I won't be in your way, I swear," Dean interrupted him. "But you gotta understand; life or death here."

The doctor scowled at him for a moment, trying to make his decision. It was certainly against the rules to let somebody in while treating a patient but Dean's desperate look made him reconsider. He could see that Dean was telling the truth, and that meant it really was necessary to let him come in.

"Alright," the doctor conceded. "But one wrong move and you're out."

"Dean!" Sam called from a few feet away.

Dean turned to look at him, "You handle here, Sam." With that, he hurried inside the ER, faintly hearing his brother's call of 'alright' after him.

Inside the ER room, there was an air of urgency. In the short time Dean was arguing with the doctor, the nurses had changed Lyra into a hospital gown. Dean stood in a corner, watching the people clad in white, doing whatever they could to save his wife. She was hooked to machines, IV needles penetrating her veins. Dean could hear the beeping sound of her heart-rate monitor, sticking out among the quiet murmurs of the nurses and doctor. It was a relief as well as a pain for him to hear it. That beeping sound meant she was alive but it also meant she was there, in a hospital; because of him.

Dean didn't know what to think or how to feel. Should he feel guilty as she pushed him out of harm's way and ended up in his place? Or should he succumb to the despair he was feeling at the prospect of losing her? His mind turned blank. No thoughts, no feelings. But it was the calm before the storm; as a few moments later, it was like the floodgates of his memories had been opened. It is said that your life flashes before eyes when you're about to die; and Dean experienced the same thing. Only he wasn't dying; she was. Every single moment he had spent with her was playing in his mind, with a spotlight on it. If the circumstances were any different, he would have smiled at the sweet memories, but right now, it was torture for him. A bitter reminder of what he would lose if she died.

He slid down to the floor, head in hands, willing his eyes to stop tearing up. He refused to cry; not because there were people to witness his, what they called, moment of weakness, but because shedding tears would mean there was no hope left. And Dean wasn't going to give up. He would go against all odds to save her, the girl he had come to love. There was no denying the fact that he was in love with her. How could he not love the only blessing he had got in a world full of curses? He had realized his feelings for her when she had held him while he cried, but he didn't have the courage to express them. And now, he wished he had acted upon them then and there. That way, at least now she could have had one more incentive to pull through, knowing someone who loved her was waiting for her to wake up.

A hand on his shoulder startled Dean. He looked up to see the doctor looming over him with a grim expression on his face. The doctor beckoned him to follow him out and so Dean quickly stood up. He stole one glance at Lyra to find her eyes closed, and then he was out. Sam joined his side, throwing a questioning look at him but he just shrugged wearily.

"About her," the doctor started.

"What about her?" Dean cut him off. "She's going to be fine, right?" Sam's face softened at his brother's desperate pleas and he squeezed his shoulder to show his support.

The doctor's face turned even more sorrowful at Dean's question. "The electrocution triggered a heart attack. Pretty massive, I'm afraid. Her heart...it's damaged."

"How damaged?" Dean asked in a tense tone.

"We've done all we can. We can try and keep her comfortable at this point. But, I'd give her a couple weeks at most, maybe a month."

"No," Dean cried. "There has to be way! Do something!"

"We can't work miracles. I'm really sorry," the doctor replied, turning to go.

Dean stopped him, grabbing his collar. "What do you mean I'm sorry? That's my wife in there! You have to save her!" His voice was a mixture of desperation, anger, and worry.

"Dean," Sam said, prying away his hands from the doctor's coat. "Relax, just calm down."

Dean turned on his brother, "How can you ask me that, Sam? He said she's going to die. In a month! And you want me to calm down?"

"Dean, we'll find a way," Sam reasoned. "But for now, you need to relax. I promise we'll save her. Nothing will happen to her."

Dean stared in his eyes for a long moment, trying to see the hope which was diminishing within him. When he found what he was searching for, he turned away with a sigh. He ran a hand across his face, taking deep breaths to quell his anxiety. Sam was right; he needed to keep his emotions in check if he wanted to help Lyra.

A nurse walked out of Lyra's room and Sam stopped her. "Can we see her?"

Dean rolled his eyes at Sam's stupid question and headed inside. Even if she said no, he had to be there with her. He quietly walked over to her bed, trying his best to not disturb her. He drew back the bedside stool to sit, making a loud scraping sound. Lyra's eyes slowly opened, but the shine he was so used to seeing in their emerald color was missing. He sat down beside her, taking in her weary state.

"Hey," she said in an exhausted voice. "I was wondering where you were." She tried to smile but it got twisted into a grimace.

"Why?" he asked, holding her gaze with a tearful one of his own.

A sigh escaped her lips. She knew exactly what he was asking about. Why had she thrown herself in danger to save him? She took a deep breath to prepare for her answer. "Just imagine what would have happened if I hadn't pushed you out of the way. Imagine the worst condition. You could've died on the spot and then what? I would have followed suit half an hour later. End result? Two lives lost. But now, only one life is in danger. That too not lost." She paused to take another deep breath and then her voice softened. "Don't lose hope already. There's always a way." She placed her paler than usual hand on top of his and squeezed lightly. Though she didn't hesitate to rekindle his hopes, she couldn't bring herself to believe her words. There was no point in feeding herself false hope but then why was she doing that with Dean? Because she couldn't see his agonized face; devoid of any positive emotion.

Dean tried to give a smile back but didn't succeed much. How could he even pretend to be happy when it had been confirmed that he was the reason of her impending doom? He knew she was right in her place but he just couldn't stop his guilt from growing. She had saved him, at the risk of her own life. But then again, he died or not, her fate had been set. There was no way out for her. If only he could have paid more attention to where he stood, she wouldn't have been compelled to take such drastic step. If only he could have been a little more careful.

"Now I know what you're thinking," Lyra said. "And let me get this very clear that none of this is your fault. It was my decision to jump in and so I'm living the result. If you continue to blame yourself, I swear I'll haunt you for the rest of your life."

"You'll need to die to haunt me. And I'm not going to let that happen," Dean replied with a small smile, taking her fragile hand in his. There eyes locked and Dean almost made his mind about confessing, but then the door opened and Sam walked in. He had waited this long to give them some time alone, how much more could you ask of him?

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked Lyra, a somber expression on his face.

"Like someone sucked the life out of me?" she answered but her tone converted it into a question. And Dean's face contorted in pain. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve any of it. It was practically his fault that she was in this dangerous life. Why did he have to engage her in a conversation at the bar when they first met? If the stupid ghost couple wouldn't have seen them together, they wouldn't have thought of pairing her with him. And she wouldn't be here, looking like a withering flower.

"You'll live," Sam assured her. "You have to live." He nodded to make himself as well as her to believe that his words were going to come true. Sure, he might have been jealous of her at a few occasions, but it was nothing compared to the bond he had forged with her. He had grown to love her like the sister he never had. It was impossible for him to think about a life where she won't be present with them.

Lyra smiled at the brothers' reluctant to let her go and sighed in contentment. Her eyes drooped shut heavily and Dean didn't need another sign to let her rest. "You need your rest. I'll be here when you wake up," he said and drew the covers to her chin, pecking her on the forehead.

"What now?" Sam asked as soon as she was in a deep slumber.

Dean fixed his gaze at him, his face looking far older than he actually was. "We find a way to save her, somehow. Anyhow."

"I guess then I'll head back to the motel and start searching," Sam replied. "While you just… stay here and watch over her."

"I'll try to reach Dad's contacts and see if they can help." Dean wanted to do something. He couldn't just sit and watch her struggle for every breath, letting his brother do all the work. He should help in some way, after all she saved him, and he should repay the favor. But something in him told that it wasn't just a favor. And he loved to think that, that was the case here.

It had been three days since Lyra was admitted into the hospital, most of which she had spent sleeping. Dean was always there with her, though the hospital administration tried to coax him out when the visiting hours ended, but he didn't budge an inch. After a while of arguing and threatening, they'd left him to sleep in her room on the painful couch. It was another matter that he hadn't slept a wink during the whole three nights. He was afraid that if he closed his eyes, she will be gone, leaving him brokenhearted.

"Oh good, you're up," Dean said as he walked into the room, a cup of coffee in his hands.

Lyra smiled as he reached her, taking in the sudden glimmer of hope in his eyes. "What do you need me awake?"

"'Cause we're going," he replied, helping her sit up.

"Where?"

"Nebraska," he answered. "I think we've got a way."

"How so?" she questioned again, looking at him quizzically.

"You'll find out soon. A nurse is coming to get to you changed," he told her. "Meanwhile I'll get your discharge papers. I'll be back in no time."

And just like he promised, Dean returned when the nurse was finished dressing her up. He offered a hand to her and she gladly accepted, needing support to walk. They made their way out slowly, reaching the Impala to find Sam leaning against the hood.

"Tell me again, why do we need to take her there?" Dean asked him, silent anger lacing his voice. "Why can't she be fixed here?"

"Dean," Sam sighed. "We've talked about this. The world doesn't work our way; we gotta work according to it."

"She can barely walk," Dean pointed out, motioning to a very breathless Lyra. "How is she gonna survive the trip?"

"I'll be alright," she said between gasps of breaths.

"Yeah sure." Dean gave out a sarcastic chuckle, which reverberated in her entire frame as he was holding her up by the waist. "You're driving." He chucked the car keys at Sam, who caught it effortlessly. He then proceeded to settle her in the backseat, slipping in beside her. She leaned against him, placing her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes, exhausted by the long walk out.

They drove in silence, with Dean shooting glares at Sam whenever a bump on the road would jerk Lyra. Sam would then roll his eyes and lower the speed to give her a comfortable ride. They reached a place with a big white tent at the centre of it. A sign declared it to be the 'church of Roy LaGrange, faith healer'.

Lyra raised an eyebrow at Dean who was helping her out of the car. "Since when did you start believing Dean?"

"Since when I needed to," he replied cryptically.

"I don't think it'll help me," Lyra said, looking at the people around them. "I have no faith." She locked eyes with him and for the first time, Dean didn't need an explanation. He knew exactly why she had lost faith in God, her parents' death.

"But I'll make it work," he stated determinately. "By believing enough for you too."

"You sure your faith would be enough?" she asked, turning in his hold to look him in the eyes more easily.

"Love holds enough power to conquer even death," a voice interjected. The couple turned to see a young blond woman smiling at them.

"I'm sure it does," Lyra said to her. "That's why I believe in it, rather than God." She looked at Dean to find him staring at her already, but she didn't look away.

The woman cleared her throat lightly and extended her hand, "Layla."

Lyra shook her hand with a smile, "Lyra and Dean."

An old woman approached them, "Come on, Layla. It's about to start." She put an arm around her and took her away.

"Well, let's go too," Dean said and started leading Lyra into the tent, with Sam following behind. The tent was full of people inside with a small stage at the far end.

"Where do we sit?" Lyra asked, frowning at the already filled chairs.

"Up front," Sam answered, taking advantage of his height to see far. "There are seats available." He led them to a row behind the one where Layla and her mother were sitting. They took the seats, just when a blind man started speaking on the stage.

"Each morning, my wife, Sue Ann, reads me the news. Never seems good, does it?" the man said, eliciting a noise of agreement from the gathered mass. "Seems like there's always someone committing some immoral, unspeakable act. But, I say to you, God is watching."

"And doing nothing," Lyra muttered to herself.

"Why do you say so young lady?" the blind man asked, making the crowd fall silent.

"I'm sorry, please carry on," she replied sheepishly.

"No, no. Don't be. Just watch what you say around a blind man, we've got real sharp ears." He paused for a second then asked, "What's your name my child?"

"Lyra."

He thought for a moment, "Lyra. I want you to come up here with me."

"I think there are more deserving people than me here," Lyra said in a small voice.

"The hell, Lyra," Dean hissed beside her.

"You've come here to be healed, haven't you?" Roy questioned.

"Yes, but…" Lyra stopped abruptly, noticing the glares the brothers' were throwing her way.

"The Lord has given you a chance," Roy told her encouragingly.

"Just go! Go!" Dean ushered her forward and she slowly made her way to the stage.

"You ready?" Roy asked her as his wife, Sue Ann, helped her near the lectern where he was standing.

"Yeah, I guess," she replied with a shrug.

"Pray with me friends," Roy said to the crowd and turned to face her. He placed his one hand on her shoulder and the other on the side of her head. A second later, Lyra's eyes glazed over and she sunk to her knees, as they gave in beneath her. Roy's hand was steady on her head, but then she swayed and fell to the floor, eyes rolled back in their sockets.

"Lyra!" Dean shot up from his seat, leaping up onto the stage. "What the hell did you do to her?" he shouted at the blind man. "Hey, kitten!"

Lyra's eyes opened suddenly and she looked up dazedly, focusing beyond Dean's worried face. She saw a tall man in a black suit with white hair and wrinkled skin, standing behind Roy. He stared at her but then turned away and vanished into thin air.

"Hey, you alright?" Dean asked her frantically.

"Yeah, I'm… fine," she said uncertainly, trying to recover from the shock of seeing a man vanish in front of her eyes.

"Oh, thank God." Dean engulfed her in a tight hug, fighting off tears. He was a bit skeptical of this faith healing thing himself but he was ready to try anything for her. All that mattered now was that, she was going to live and he still had a chance to say what he couldn't before. That he loved her with his mind, body, heart, and soul.

**A/N: So, fellas? I changed a huge detail of this episode but I hope you liked it. Please take a moment to leave a review and tell me your opinion. See you soon with another update!**


	22. Faith 2

The ceremony ended with a 'have faith' speech from Roy and the people filed out. Sue Ann assured the disappointed ones that Roy will be back there the next day and they will have their chance at getting healed. Dean led Lyra outside the tent, still treating her like a fragile doll that'd break if he didn't support her. After this fiasco with death, he wasn't going to let her leave his side even for a minute in the coming days.

As Sam went to open the passenger side door to get in, Dean stopped him. "Dude, you're riding the backseat."

"Why?" Sam asked with his infamous bitch-face. He hated riding in the back, because of the obvious discomfort his body felt in that compact space.

"Uh… I can't," Dean stumbled on his words. He had so easily told his brother to ride in the back, but what reason would he cite? That he didn't want Lyra out of his sight? That even the rearview mirror wasn't enough for him to watch her through? That he wanted her in direct view?

"It's about me, isn't it?" Lyra asked him in a low voice. "Dean, I'm alright."

"Yeah, but…" he seemed at a loss of words. "You're not going even an inch away from me, period."

"Why? You like my perfume that much?" she teased him, humor shining in her vivacious eyes.

He smiled, taking in her lively face, which he had so much wished to see again during the past three days. She was gazing up at him with the same expression she wore whenever she would be amused at his expense. There was mirth, mischief, and love. And he knew the last one was evident on his face too.

Sam cleared his throat to get their attention, and they broke away their gazes. "You know, this all hushed talking is getting old. Why don't you invent a language of your own? Oh yeah I forgot. You don't need any as you're already secretive when you talk with your eyes." It was unusual for Sam to use sarcasm but he was pretty good at it, if their faces were anything to go by.

"Oh look who's whining," Dean rolled his eyes at his brother's petulant behavior. "Again."

Sam opened his mouth to retort but Lyra cut him off. "Wait! Why don't you drive Sam? While we-" she turned to Dean, "take the backseat?"

Dean contemplated the offer for a moment, then shrugged and tossed the keys at Sam. "Here bitch."

"Jerk," Sam replied as he caught the keys and got in the drivers seat. He was a little surprised that his big brother would let him drive his baby when he was in a perfect condition to do it himself. But he knew what the reason was and though he might have been jealous of the new development before, now he was more understanding towards it. Whether he admitted or not, he was comparing it with what he had with Jessica. And he was glad that his brother had found something like that.

"But where are we going?" Lyra asked as she settled beside Dean.

"To a hospital," Dean replied and on catching her confused expression he added, "just to make sure."

"Alright," she sighed, accepting defeat as she knew he wasn't going to budge on this one. Wherever her safety was involved, he never took any risks.

And so not long after, she found herself sitting in a doctor's cabin waiting for the doc to show up with her results. He had performed several tests on her and now was gone to collect the reports.

"You sure you're okay?" Dean asked, angling his chair towards her. They were occupying the chairs while Sam was left leaning against the wall.

She huffed and reached into his jacket pocket, where she knew he kept his phone, and pulled out the small device. She punched a few buttons while Dean gave her a bewildered look and asked, "What are you doing?" She held up a hand to silence him and said into the phone, "I am fine, Dean. So, for God's sake, stop questioning me every freaking minute whether I'm alright or not. It's damn annoying." She saved the audio file she had just recorded and handed the phone back to him.

"Now, play it whenever you feel like asking the same question for the millionth time again," she said in an irritated tone and crossed her arms over her chest. Sam let out a chuckle at Dean's dumbfounded expression, but composed himself when the doctor walked in.

"Well, according to all your tests there's nothing wrong with your heart. No sign there ever was. Not that a woman your age should be having heart trouble, but, still it's strange it does happen," the doctor said, analyzing her reports.

"Does happen?" Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"Well, just yesterday, a young girl, like you. Twenty one, athletic. Out of nowhere; heart attack," the doctor explained.

"Oh well, thank you doc." The doctor responded to her thanks with a nod and walked away. "Strange doesn't cover it," she remarked after he was out of earshot.

"Maybe it's a coincidence," Dean said, feeling unconvinced with his own words.

"Yeah, people die all the time," Sam agreed.

"You really believe that Sam?" she challenged.

"Uh, well… but what's the point in that?" he argued. "Why can't we be just thankful that the guy saved your life and move on to our next hunt?"

"I think we have a hunt right here." Her demeanor was one of confusion and doubt, but she wasn't going to let this go without making her point. She had a suspicion that something was off with the whole faith healing thing.

"What do you mean?" Dean questioned.

"When I was healed, I just... I felt wrong. I felt cold. And maybe I saw someone, an old man in a suit. And then he vanished. Right in front of me," Lyra answered, giving a disbelieving expression at the end.

"But I didn't see anyone," Dean said, frowning.

"Neither did I," Sam agreed with a shake of his head.

"Trust me on this. Something doesn't sit right with me. Can't we check it out, just to err on the right side?" she pleaded, turning her hopeful eyes on Dean, who caved and gave a silent nod.

"Alright, so what do we do?" Sam also conceded.

"You check out the heart attack girl while we visit the reverend," Dean instructed and stood up with a tired sigh. What was the harm in making sure, right?

Sam went to research on the dead girl while Dean and Lyra drove off to the reverend's house. During their talk with him and his wife, they found out that his faith healing started after he miraculously recovered from cancer which rendered him blind. When they were leaving his house, they encountered Layla and her mother.

"How are you feeling?" Layla asked Lyra after they exchanged pleasantries.

"Good. Back to normal," Lyra replied, wearing a friendly smile. "What are you doing here?"

"You know, my mom," Layla gestured to the woman behind her. "She wanted to talk with the reverend."

Sue Ann then came out and explained to Layla's mother that why her husband can't see them right now. Mrs. Rourke pleaded with her but she politely told them to try another time. When Sue Ann went in, the old woman turned to Lyra and Dean.

"Why are you still even here? You got what you wanted," she said in a frustrated tone.

"Mom, stop," Layla tried to tug her away, giving them an apologetic smile.

"No, Layla, this is too much," her mother protested. "We've been to every single service. If Roy would stop choosing these strangers over you; strangers who don't even believe. I just can't pray any harder."

"What's wrong, Layla?" Dean asked, taking Lyra's hand in his own. He knew the woman's words were affecting her but he wasn't going to let her believe that.

"It's a brain tumor," Mrs. Rourke cut in, drowning Layla's voice with her own loud one. "It's inoperable. In six months the doctors say…" She trailed off when Layla put a hand on her shoulder.

"We're sorry," Dean said on both their behalves. Lyra sucked in a shaking breath and tightened her hold on his hand.

"It's okay," Layla nodded lightly, not meeting their gazes.

"No. It's not." Mrs. Rourke stared in her daughter's eyes, pain clear in her eyes. Then she turned to Lyra, "Why do you deserve to live more than my daughter?"

Dean's sympathetic expression turned into one of anger in a second. He opened his mouth to give a piece of his mind to that woman, but Lyra placed a hand on his arm to stop him. He looked down at her and she shook her head to keep him from going after the mother. Her fallen face made his heart clench and he wanted nothing more than to erase the reason for that. But sadly, words can't be taken back. They're like bullets, once you fire, you have no way to bring them back. They stop only when the damage has been done.

They silently walked back to the Impala, Lyra ahead of Dean, while he tried to find the right words to assure her that she deserved the second chance she had got. He stopped her before she could get in and turned her to face him. But whatever he had to say couldn't be uttered after what he saw. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears and despite her best efforts, a lone tear slipped down her face which she hastily wiped away. The sight of her crying broke his heart all over again and impulsively, he engulfed her in a hug; partly to comfort her and partly to hide her crying face from his view as he couldn't stand to see her like that.

"Hey kitten, don't you cry. You deserve it. You deserve every single second you've got."

"But her mother," she said, her voice muffled by his jacket. But he could understand her as easily as usual. In a bar room filled with loud music, he could hear even her whispers. He had grown that used to her voice.

"She doesn't know you," he reasoned, stroking her long hair. "So how can she judge you?"

"But I saw my mom in her," she argued, pulling back. "What if I would have been in Layla's place? I can't think of doing that to anyone's mother let alone my own. Layla should have been-"

"No!" Dean cut her off. "Stop thinking that you don't deserve it because you do. And we're gonna end this discussion right here." She averted her gaze from him and so he softened his tone, "Please Lyra. Let's just drop it here." Their eyes met and she gave a small nod which elicited a smile on his face. He wiped away any stray tears and kissed her forehead, lingering longer than usual, savoring the feeling.

They went back to their room, which they'd rented earlier, and found Sam working on his laptop. He looked up when they entered and immediately knew something had happened. They both were deep in thought and looked tense.

"What'd you find out?" Dean asked him.

Sam stole a furtive glance at Lyra and spoke in a quiet tone, "Marcy Hall died at 4:17"

Her head jerked up at the revelation, her mind highlighting the time of her healing. "The exact time I was healed."

Dean looked uncomfortable with the information but Sam continued, "Yeah. So, I put together a list of everyone Roy's healed, six people over the past year, and I cross-checked them with the local obits. Every time someone was healed, someone else died. And each time, the victim died of the same symptom LaGrange was healing at the time."

Sam turned the screen around for them to have a look. Dean studied the various cases his brother had pulled up. "Someone's healed of cancer, someone else dies of cancer?" he surmised with an example.

"Somehow. Lagrange... he's trading a life for another," Sam put forward his opinion.

"So, Marcy Hall died to save me?" Lyra said in a small voice. This new fact only fueled the self-doubts she was entertaining inside her.

"Lyra, the girl probably would've died anyway. And someone else would've been healed," Sam tried to make her see the alternate possibility.

"Yeah, maybe Layla," she replied, looking at Dean, who closed his eyes to clear his mind. It wouldn't help if he did any harm to the woman who implanted these thoughts in her mind in the first place.

"The thing I don't understand is how is Roy doing it? How's he trading a life for a life?" Sam steered the topic away from the distressing one and Dean threw him a grateful glance.

"Oh, he's not doing it," Dean stated. "Something else is doing this for him."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"The old man I saw on stage," Lyra answered, realization dawning on her face.

"And there's only one thing that can give and take life like that," Dean said, pausing for dramatic effect. "A reaper."

They busied themselves in gathering information about reapers. They found out that reapers can stop time and are only visible to people who are about to die, which was why only Lyra could see it. They came to the conclusion, after many efforts, that Roy was using some sort of black magic to bind the reaper to him and make it follow his commands. And their only valid option was to figure out how to break the spell on the reaper, unless they chose Dean's option of killing Roy.

The next day, they went to Roy's healing camp again to search for a way to put a stop to that unnatural control over life and death.

"If Roy's using a spell, there might be a spell book," Sam guessed, getting out of the car.

"See if you can find it," Dean replied. "Hurry up too; the service starts in fifteen minutes. We'll try to stall Roy." Sam walked away, but not before appreciating a protestor.

Dean turned to Lyra who had been unusually quiet since last night. He sighed and pulled her towards him, putting an arm around her shoulders. He couldn't do much other than that right now. He didn't know what to say to restore her self-confidence. And the time wasn't right either for them to have a serious talk, which he thought he'd suck at. He led her inside, surveying the interior for anything to help them delay the healing, if not cancel. His phone rang, the screen flashing Sam's name.

"What have you got?" he asked into the phone.

"_Roy's choosing victims he sees as immoral. And I think I know who's next on his list. Remember that protestor?"_

"What, the guy in the parking lot?"

"_Yeah. Yeah, I'll find him. But you can't let Roy heal anyone, alright?"_

Dean hung up and watched as Roy settled in his place to begin that day's ceremony. He took a depressed looking Lyra to the front rows and secured them a seat. He heard Layla's name being called and so, turned around to see her proceeding forward to the stage. Just when she passed them, he grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Layla, listen to me. You can't go up there," he said urgently.

"Why not? We've waited for months!" she exclaimed incredulously, wiggling her hand out of his grasp.

"You can't let Roy heal you," he told her, staring seriously in her eyes for emphasis.

"I don't understand, Roy healed your wife didn't he? Why can't you let him try?" she asked, confused by his erratic behavior. She looked at Lyra, who stared back with a pained expression.

Lyra tried to convey what she felt through her eyes but the hope in Layla's eyes made her feel guilty. How could she possibly crush that hope by saying that she shouldn't be healed? Wouldn't that make her the biggest hypocrite ever?

"Cause if you do something bad is going to happen. I can't explain. I just need you to believe me," he reasoned. Sue Ann then called Layla's name again, making her look at her, then her mother.

"I'm sorry," she said and started towards the stage, leaving Dean calling her name over and over.

"What do we do now?" he whispered to Lyra, his eyes darting around to find a way.

"Raise a false alarm," she replied in an even quieter voice. Dean looked at her, surprised that she had talked, and nodded. He went to a shrouded corner and shouted 'fire' to get the people to evacuate the place. Lyra slowly rose from her seat and made her way towards him, trying to ignore the desperate pleas of Layla's mother, audible from afar. Dean grasped her hand when she reached him and pulled out his phone to call Sam.

"We did it. We stopped Roy."

"_Dean it didn't work. The reaper's still coming!"_

"But he isn't healing her anymore, Sam."

"_I'm telling you, I'm telling you it didn't work. Roy must not be the one controlling this thing."_

"Then who the hell is?" Dean asked frustrated, just when he felt a tug on his hand. Lyra motioned to Sue Ann who was standing beside the stage, reciting something. He clicked the phone shut without any further response and went over to her with Lyra in tow. He spun her around, making her stop her recital and clutch a wooden cross around her neck.

"Help! Help me!" Sue Ann shouted, slipping her necklace inside her blouse.

Lyra gave her the deadliest glare she could muster as cops rushed in to drag them away. They both were manhandled to the exit/entrance of the tent.

"Get your hands off her," Dean snarled at the cop holding Lyra. As soon as they were out, he shrugged the one holding him and snatched her away from the other. He held her close, scowling at the cops and then Sue Ann who started speaking.

"I just don't understand. After everything we've done for you two, after Roy healed her. I'm just very disappointed," she chided them, and then turned to the cops. "You can let him go. I'm not gonna press charges. The Lord will deal with him as he sees fit."

As she left, the cops faced the couple, "We catch you round here again son, we'll put the fear of God in you, understand?"

"And you touch her again, I'll tell you what fear actually is," Dean said in an equally threatening tone, daring them to argue. The cops exchanged looks but walked off after glaring at the pair.

"You alright? Did he hurt you?" he asked her, looking her over for any bruises.

"Come on Dean, I'm not made of glass," she replied, a hint of a smile lighting up her gloom face.

"Yeah not glass, but crystal," he said, smiling widely at her. But then something behind her caught his attention. Layla was looking at them with silent betrayal, accusation, and disappointment. He made a move towards her but she turned and walked away to her mother. Lyra followed his gaze and spotted Sam standing a little behind where Roy, Sue Ann, Layla, and her mother were talking. The couple passed by them in order to get to Sam and overheard the conversation going on. Roy was going to heal Layla that night in a private session.

The trio went back to their motel room to plan their next strategy. They discussed about the binding spell Sue Ann used to trap a reaper and save her husband when he was dying of cancer. They guessed that after Roy was healed, she used the reaper to kill people who she thought were immoral. They concluded that they needed to destroy the cross around her neck and the black magic altar to break the spell. After everything was agreed upon, they headed back to the healing camp to finish it once and for all.

"That's Layla's car," Sam pointed, as they came to a halt in the car park. "She's already here."

"You know," Lyra said from the backseat. "If Roy would've picked Layla instead of me she'd be here right now. And if she's not healed tonight she's gonna die in a couple of months."

"Lyra," Dean sighed, still trying to search for the right words to say.

"What's happening to her is horrible," Sam started his justification. "But what are you gonna do? Let somebody else die to save her? You know it Lyra, you can't play God."

"Though I wish I could. Just this once," she breathed.

They all got out and made their way over to the house beside the tent. Dean noticed the cops coming down the stairs and so ushered Sam behind. "Go find Sue Ann, we'll catch up."

"But what are you gonna do?" Sam asked but the pair was already moving out of their hiding place.

"Hey!" Dean shouted to get the descending cops' attention. "You gonna put that fear of God in me?"

The cops dropped the cups they were holding and chased the couple around. After a cat and mouse game involving much running, they finally lost the cops and walked towards the tent. But then the lights above flickered and then went out one by one. Dean turned to look around and his eyes widened when he saw the reaper coming towards him.

"What is it, Dean?" Lyra asked, shaking him slightly.

"The reaper," he replied, releasing a long breath.

"What?" she exclaimed, clutching his hand tightly in her own. As if, that would keep him from being taken away from her. "That can't be." She tried to get him to run but he was fixed on the spot.

"It's too late," he said, turning to place a hand on the side of her face.

"No!" she cried as his eyes glazed over and he started convulsing. "Please!" She held onto his hand, kneeling in front of him as he sank down. Tears started leaking from her eyes but all she could see was his face, getting drained of life. She hugged him, tightly, murmuring incoherent things, mostly prayers, in his ears. She closed her eyes, feeling helpless that she couldn't do anything to save him. She now felt stupid that she had thought they had all the time in the world to take things slow. But now, she wanted nothing more than to tell him how much he mattered to her. How she couldn't live without him. But why should she worry when she would die in half an hour too? Even those 30 minutes felt eternity for her to spend to without him.

He sagged against her and she pulled back, horrified at the prospect of seeing his dead body. But a fresh streak of tears flowed down, when she saw him alive and… gasping. (Can't say kicking, now can I?)

"I'm alright," he said breathlessly.

"You scared me there for a moment, you know that?" she asked, helping him stand up.

"I thought I was awesome, not scary," he remarked, smirking.

"You're just my lion." She smiled widely, still holding him by the waist.

"And you're my kitten."

They were driving again the next morning. Lyra's improved mood had vanished when Layla had stopped by to say goodbye. Seeing her again had brought the guilt back to the forefront of Lyra's mind. And now she was brooding again in the backseat. Dean had stalled their impending talk as long as he could, but he couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"You've been awfully quiet back there," he said.

"She could've been saved," Lyra replied. "She deserves another chance at life. Much more than me."

"Lyra… we've talked about this," Dean sighed.

"She has a mother who'll break when she dies. And maybe more friends and family. What do I have?" she ranted. "If it weren't for that ghost trick, you wouldn't even know that I exist. And if I wasn't cursed, you would've left me on my own. And still now you're bearing me as a burden. What good am I alive?"

"You are not a burden," he said slowly, seething silently with anger. "And don't you see us two? Who want you to stay alive?" He looked at her through the mirror, but she had her head turned away, staring out the window.

The silence that followed was unbearable for Sam. He squirmed in his seat, thinking of a way to dissipate the tension among them. "Uh, Dean…. can you stop at the next convenience store?" He didn't get a verbal answer but a little while later, Dean was pulling up. Sam quickly mumbled an excuse, which he wasn't heard, and got out.

After a minute of silence, Dean spoke up, "You're wrong. There are people who love you. Who value your life more than yourself." He stopped, taking a breath to continue. "Initially, I did take you with me because I considered you a responsibility. You were more or less a job to me. And I had tried hard to find a way to break your curse. But now… I don't think I'd be able to let you go, even if the curse has been broken. I…. I don't think I'd be able to live without you. Maybe because I…. I love you, Lyra."

Lyra turned her head to stare at him disbelievingly. Had she heard right? Did he just say what she thinks he said? Unfortunately, he was facing the window, so she had no way to read his face and get the answer. But her mind wouldn't play such a cruel trick. She replayed his little speech in his mind again, and needed no confirmation beyond that. The brightest smile one could have ever seen on her face graced her lips. She leapt right behind him and reached forward to throw her arms around his neck. He gave a surprised start, but then placed his hands on the arms around him.

"I've been waiting for you to say that," she whispered in his ear, eliciting an identical smile on his face. "Maybe because I love you too."

He laughed and turned around in his seat to face her. "And I've been waiting to do this." He leaned down, hesitantly at first, but she moved an inch forward which erased all his doubts. Their lips met in the perfect first kiss, sweet yet passionate, and above all in our beloved Impala. And it didn't feel like the cliché setting: slow music playing in the background, people dancing around them, or the world looking brighter. No. They could still hear the rock music blasting from the inside the store. The people were still lazily moving around. And the world still looked as grim as usual; only the string that held the couple together had strengthened. Only the way they saw each other had changed. Only they had progressed to the next level of their relationship. And crossed a milestone called 'confession'.


	23. Route 666 1

**A/N: So sorry guys for such a long break. Had a wedding to attend last week. Anyway, a huge thanks to all my lovely reviewers. Every one of you matters to me. For every question related to the future of this story, you should know that I'm writing it as we go. I don't have anything perfectly planned. So yeah, you'll have to see for yourself what is about to come. Thank you for your support again. Now, another much awaited chapter.**

"Will you be alright?" Dean asked his wife as he parked the Impala outside a cemetery in Vegas. It was the first death anniversary of Lyra's parents, and so the trio had travelled to Nevada to visit their resting place.

Lyra turned to look at him from the passenger seat, her eyes holding the pain which she had grown to forget in the past year. "Yeah more or less," she replied, trying to rein in her emotions.

"I'll be there with you." He took her left hand and squeezed it sympathetically, showing his support the best way he can.

"I know." She placed her other hand on top of his with a sad smile, then turned to get out. She took a deep breath, tightening her hold on the small flower bouquet she had bought, and stepped out of the car. Dean joined her side almost instantly and together they proceeded inside the cemetery gates. Sam had chosen to stay behind; giving them the time they needed alone.

The couple slowly made its way towards the adjoining graves under the twilit sky. Dean had his arm around her shoulders; keeping her close, giving her the much needed encouragement. They knelt by the headstone and Lyra gently lowered the bouquet to the grassed ground. She traced the engravings on the stone with her fingers, closing her eyes to keep the tears from falling.

"Caroline and Lyndon Auden," Dean read softly, a hint of realization in his voice. Lyra had always referred to them as 'mom' and 'dad', so he never got to know their names, nor did he ask for it.

Lyra opened her eyes, a nostalgic look on her face. A distraction was all she needed to not cry and she was grateful that Dean had provided her just that. "Yes," she said; her voice barely over a whisper. "Carol and Lynn…" She paused to look down at their names and a loving smile crept on her lips. "Hey, mom? Dad? Meet Dean Winchester, your son-in-law."

"You're making me nervous," Dean whispered in her ear. "You should've told me to practice if I was going to be formally introduced to them. What if I ruin my first impression?"

She chuckled lightly and leaned back against him, "Don't worry, you're doing fine. It's not like you're here for their consent to marry me. Already tied the knot, remember?"

"Oh, I'm glad to have skipped the whole 'I want to marry your daughter' phase. Would've gotten kicked out in under a minute."

"Nah, they would've liked you," she said but then amended herself. "Maybe not in the first meeting, or the second either. But they would've warmed up to you eventually."

A soft laugh escaped his lips, "Yeah, but only if they could've overlooked my lack of a permanent job, homeless status, badass attitude, criminal records… actually, if they could've overlooked the whole me."

"And trust the goodness in your heart," she added. "That's what will win their approval, considering they want their daughter to be happy and my happiness lies with you."

"Well that said," he started nervously, and straightened up to feel more sure of himself. "I promise you Mr. and Mrs. Auden that I will keep your daughter happy and safe till my last breath. And even after that if I can." Lyra coughed to hide her laughter, amused at his cheesy words. "What?" he asked affronted.

"Uh, that was a little too much Dean," she explained, feeling it harder to control her laughs.

"Oh was it?" he asked, looking lost. "I watched it in a movie; the parents were damn pleased to hear that."

She turned around to look at him clearly, disbelief etched on her face. "Are you saying you watched a chick flick?"

"Yeah well… it was on and…" he replied, scratching his head. His guilty expression made her burst in laughter, all the sadness gone from her face and he smiled on seeing that.

"Oh man, Sam is not gonna let you hear the end of this," she managed to say in between gasps.

"Not a word Lyra," he threatened in a tone that implied he was dead serious.

She narrowed her eyes at him but nodded after a moment, "Alright, but you owe me big time."

"We'll see," he said in a business voice. "Now uh, should we… get going?"

Her face fell and she stared at the headstone with a sorrowful gaze. She could almost feel her parents' presence with her; but even with the knowledge of the supernatural reality, she knew it was just her mind. She believed they were in heaven, watching over her from above.

"I miss you both," she whispered, hoping they could hear her. "I wish you were here to see my new life… and I love you momma dada, I always will." With one last glance, she stood up and started walking towards the exit, with Dean in tow. When he fell into step beside her, she spoke up, "Thanks for coming with me."

"That's what good husbands do," he replied with a shrug. "Wow that sounded strange."

"Damn right it did," she remarked, looking at him curiously.

"What? I gotta keep my wife happy, don't I?" He smiled and leaned down to steal one quick kiss, reveling in whatever bliss he could get.

The next morning, the trio was on the road again. They always took a room to stay the night, as the three of them couldn't sleep in the car. If only there were two, Dean would definitely choose the Impala; to save money of course. After packing all their stuff, they had taken off in a random direction as Sam was still weighing which hunt in the nearby states would be best for them. Right now, they had stopped to take a break and let Sam have one last chance to decide or else Dean was picking.

"So Sammy, what's it going to be? Idaho, Utah, or Arizona?" Lyra asked, poking her head over the front seat to read the screen over his shoulders.

"Ohio," Dean declared, getting in the car. He took one last look at his phone, which he was just talking on, and pocketed it, a serious expression on his face.

"Ohio?" she asked incredulously. "That's gotta be what, a 30 hour drive? Come on Dean, I'm sure Sam has done his eeny-meeny-miny-moe. Right Sam?" She smiled sweetly at Sam, who glared at her in return.

"Yeah, the one in Arizona is great," Sam said, nodding for good measure.

"No, we're going to Ohio," Dean stated, avoiding eye-contact with either of them.

"What's so special about Ohio?" Sam questioned, eying him closely.

"I just got a call from an, uh, old friend," Dean answered, fidgeting with the keys in ignition. "Her father was killed last night, think it might be our kind of thing."

"You sure it's worth our time?" Lyra asked, trying to decipher the sudden secrecy in his demeanor. But then something clicked in her mind, "You said 'her father', and 'old friend'? So you've got a girlfriend."

"What? No!" Dean said quickly, but maybe a little too quickly to get her sixth sense on high alert. "She's not my girlfriend."

Lyra cocked an eyebrow at him, "But she's a friend and she's a girl, so doesn't that make her your girlfriend?" Sam snickered at her words while Dean's body went tense and he started shifting nervously in his seat. "Oh, oh, okay," she continued. "Now I get it, she _was_ your girlfriend." She was playing blind but when she got only silence in reply, her doubts were confirmed. And whether she admitted or not, she wasn't happy with that. Not because Dean had a girlfriend, but because they were going to meet her.

Sam cleared his throat to break the uncomfortable silence, where Dean was staring at the rearview mirror and Lyra was staring out the window. "Uh… should we go or…?" he spoke hesitantly to his big brother, who started the car without a single word in response.

"So what's this case about?" Lyra asked, turning her head to meet Dean's gaze through the mirror. She wasn't going to sulk like a jealous bitch, no, never. Dean was with her right now, so why should she fear his ex?

Dean's eyes held an apologetic look when they found hers, "Cassie's father died in a car accident. He supposedly lost control but the dents in his car suggest something heavy collided with it."

"So her name's Cassie huh? You never mentioned her," Sam said, alternating glances between the couple. He wondered how Dean was going to get out of it; meeting your ex with your current has never ended well.

"Dad and I were working a job in Ohio, she was finishing up college. We went out for a couple of weeks," Dean answered, giving out minimum details. It wouldn't be wise to discuss your relationship with your ex when your wife was sitting in the back.

"Hard to believe you dated someone for more than one night," Lyra remarked with a dry chuckle. She was feeling very confused; on one side she knew she had to play neutral but on the other, her feminine instincts were telling her to give him a hard time for it. Why? She didn't know; weren't women always complicated?

"Uh well, look," Sam started, not wanting a lovers spat to break out. "It's terrible about her dad, but it kind of sounds like a standard car accident. I'm not seeing how it fits with what we do. Which by the way, how does she know what we do?"

He knew very well what the silence he was getting from Dean meant. His suspicions had been confirmed, "You told her. You told her, the secret! Our big family rule number one. We do what we do and we shut up about it. For a year and a half I do nothing but lie to Jessica, and you go out with this chick in Ohio a couple of times and you tell her everything?"

"She must have meant something to him. Something more than usual," Lyra deduced from Dean's 'no comments' attitude.

"Jessica was much more than usual for me too," Sam burst out. "Hell! She was everything. But I didn't tell her a single nothing." Dean was getting even more anxious under the deadly glares he was receiving. He wanted to explain himself but didn't have the right words.

"Maybe your brother couldn't lie to her," Lyra reasoned, but her tone was bitter. "She maybe stirred some unnatural honesty in him. Leave it Sam; we don't know the whole story."

"Yeah, she knows but we don't," Sam bit out and turned his attention to the landscapes they were passing. He didn't want any further discussion on that matter, but how can you discuss anything when the other party is unwilling to participate?

It was evening and they had stopped to a break. Sam was off to take care of his business, while Dean and Lyra were left standing beside the Impala. Both wanted to say something to dissipate the tension between them, but none of them dared speak first. Finally Dean got enough courage to initiate and turned to face her.

"Lyra I… want to talk about… about." He had started but didn't know where to go from there. He really sucked at serious talks.

"I know what you want to talk about," she said, saving him from further search of words he wouldn't find. "And I'm sorry for how I behaved, but I can't help it. I mean, I don't think any woman would be comfortable with meeting the ex-girlfriend of the man she loves. Don't ask me why though. I don't know myself." They both gave a small laugh, and she continued, "Everyone has a past that can't be erased, and I don't even want you to erase anything. You had a girlfriend? That's fine. I won't hold it against you. I _can't, _even if I want to. How can I hold you responsible for dating someone when I hadn't even entered your life? But yeah, I won't say I'm at ease with this case because I'm not."

Dean smiled lovingly at her, "That's what I like the most about you. That honest way of yours, the transparency you give to everything."

"And I expect the same honesty from you, Dean," she replied, staring intently in his eyes.

"And I promise to never let you down." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, breaking apart only when they heard Sam approaching.

"You two kissed and made up?" Sam asked with an amused grin.

"You want to do the same bitch?" Dean retorted, giving his trademark smirk.

"Nah, I think I'll pass jerk." And just like that, things were normal among them again. For now, at least.

They drove all night on Lyra's insistence that they might be needed urgently. There were few words spoken among them, the silence still prevailing. They made it to Ohio by noon the next day. Dean had called Cassie to let her know they were in town, and she had told him that she'd meet them at the newspaper office. When the Impala stopped at the desired destination, Dean got out and faithfully joined Lyra's side. He wound an arm around her petite waist, clearly showing where his affections belonged.

Inside the office, they spotted Cassie talking with two men, who walked away after what looked like a frustrating argument. As soon as the men were gone, Cassie sighed and turned around, only to come face to face with them.

"Dean," she breathed, bluntly staring at him. Whether she didn't notice the brunette by his side or she chose to ignore her presence, it was hard to tell.

"Hey Cassie," Dean nodded in acknowledgement. He kept his voice neutral, not too attached or detached; both cases weren't going to help him. He cleared his throat after a moment of silence to introduce the others. "This is Sam, my brother," he inclined his head towards the man in question. Cassie and Sam exchanged smiles and the woman's attention was back on Dean, who continued, "And this is Lyra, my wife." He let the smile he had reserved only for her, spread on his face. He knew these little things were what will make her feel secure in front of Cassie.

Lyra smiled broadly, not hiding the delight she was feeling when he didn't hesitate to introduce her as his wife. Cassie, on the other hand, looked more than just shocked. It was hard for her to believe that Dean was married, let alone to a girl so young. And while she still thought of him a few times, he had already moved on.

"Oh well, hi," Cassie managed to say, switching glances between the couple.

"Sorry 'bout your dad," Dean said, sincerity in his voice.

"Yeah me too," Cassie replied, still gawking at them. "So, let's talk in a more private setting. My home?"

"Sounds good," Dean agreed and followed her out of the office. Outside, the group split up to ride their respective cars.

"She looked stunned when she heard about you two," Sam commented, once they were settled inside. He had willingly taken the backseat for Lyra's sake. Every little thing counted.

"Yeah, I had an urge to shout 'psych' just to see her face," Lyra said with a roll of her eyes. "Would have been hilarious. By the way, why is it so hard for her to believe?"

"Maybe she was having a hard time believing I could get so lucky to have someone like you," Dean replied, revving the engine and taking off after Cassie's car.

"Impressive Dean," Lyra remarked. "Where did you get that from? Oh I forgot…" Dean shot her a warning glance to silence her, daring her to say another word in front of Sam. He couldn't let his brother know he watched a chick flick, now could he?

"What?" Sam asked, leaning forward to listen in.

"Only Dean can tell you Sam," Lyra explained with her amused smile in place.

"Yeah when you turn deaf," Dean dodged the topic smartly, leaving Sam with his bitch-face. The taller Winchester didn't like when he was kept out of the loop.

Upon reaching the large country house where Cassie resided, they were seated and offered tea by her. The three hunters interrogated the mourning woman about the strange accident, getting every detail of it. She told them that her father's car was new and didn't have a single scratch on it, let alone dents. And though it looked like some big vehicle had rammed into his car, there were no set of tracks apart from his. And her father had also mentioned a huge black truck following him around but he never talked about a driver. Before Cassie's father, his best friend had been killed in the same manner.

"So, can you think of any reason why your father and his partner might be targets?" Dean asked, packing up their enquiry.

"No," Cassie replied, trying to keep her emotions in check. It was hard for her to talk about her father's death, days later when he was killed.

"And you think this vanishing truck ran them off the road?" Sam surmised, sipping his cup of tea.

"When you say it aloud like that..." Cassie said, shaking her head a little. "Listen, I'm a little skeptical about this...ghost stuff...or whatever it is you guys are into."

"Skeptical?" Dean huffed. "If I remember, I think you said I was nuts."

"That was then," Cassie defended, staring right in his eyes.

"So the definition of insanity changed over a few years," Lyra remarked acerbically.

"Sometimes you need to see for yourself to believe," Cassie responded in the same tone as her.

"Yeah of course," Lyra bit out sarcastically, glaring back defiantly at her.

Just then the front door opened and a middle aged woman stepped in. All of them rose to their feet while Cassie went to help the woman. "Mom. Where have you been I was so..."

"I had no idea you'd invited friends over," the woman said.

"Mom, this is Dean, a...friend of mine from... college. His wife Lyra and his brother Sam," Cassie introduced, a little scoff in her voice when she said 'wife'.

"Well I won't interrupt you," her mother told them and turned to walk away.

"Mrs. Robinson," Dean called. "We're sorry for your loss. We'd like to talk to you for a minute if you don't mind?"

"I'm really not up for that right now," Mrs. Robinson replied in a slightly rude tone and marched off, leaving the others in apprehensive silence.

The hunters left Cassie's house and went in search of a motel to stay at, after Dean had his dinner of course. And it was not long after that they found themselves unpacking their bags in a drab room. They all were tired from the long drive, especially when they had to switch places and drive in the moonlit night, never getting enough rest on the hard car seats.

"Dean?" Lyra asked quietly, keeping in mind that Sam was already deep asleep on the adjacent bed.

"Hmm…" Dean replied, shifting his hold on her. Their deal to stay on one's side was broken the day they admitted their feelings for each other. And now it was customary for Sam to find them tangled in one another's arms, whenever he woke up before them, which was almost daily.

"Did you love Cassie?" Lyra asked, not beating around the bush.

"What?" Dean pulled back in surprise; questions like that would no doubt catch him off guard.

"Were you in love with her?" She reiterated, propping herself on an elbow.

"Where did that come from? Out of the blue?" Dean was fishing for excuses to stall that conversation. It was already hard for him to talk about his feelings, and she was asking about his ex. How comfortable!

"Just answer the question," she insisted, not letting any emotion lace her words.

Dean was quiet for a few moments but then he finally spoke, "Maybe. I thought that I loved her."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Her voice did betray her, and confusion and curiosity leaked through.

"I don't know. Maybe I did love her," he answered, honesty shining in his hazel eyes. "But not as intensely as I love you. Maybe I didn't know what love actually is until I met you."

She raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "You're talking like Romeo day by day. Did Shakespeare possess you or something?"

"Well darling, I'm a romantic at heart." He rolled her and pinned her to the bed under him.

"Never seen you like this before," she said, staring up at him with her excitement lit eyes.

"Never had you before," he replied and captured her lips in a heavy make out session, their talk instantly forgotten.

The next morning, they were informed by Cassie that there had been another killing last night. Jimmy Anderson, another friend of Cassie's father, met the same fate as the ones before him. The trio visited the place where the accident took place and found Cassie conversing with the Mayor of the town. Their talk didn't result in anything, except a cryptic hint by the Mayor who told Cassie to ask her mother about him being 'racist'.

After poking around the crashed car for a while, the trio decided to go back to the motel. They needed to dress up if they were going to question Jimmy's friends about the accident. And Lyra insisted to shower as they had just put on clothes and ran to the crime scene when Cassie had called.

"So everything okay between you two? I mean with Cassie and stuff," Sam asked Lyra, as they waited for Dean to come out of the bathroom. Sam had already showered and was checking his mails or doing whatever his geeky self did on the internet.

"Yeah, we're cool," Lyra replied, closing her own laptop. "What 'bout us, Sam? Are we okay?"

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion, giving her his full attention.

"Remember that asylum case? About what you said in the last?" She treaded carefully, weighing her words before she said them.

"'Bout that…" Realization was evident on his face, and he replayed everything in his mind so as not to leave anything unexplained.

"Yes, that. Do you really think like that for me?" she asked in a small voice, almost afraid of the answer.

"Some of it was true," he answered. "I sometimes do get jealous of you but not so much as I said. It was exaggerated due to whatever that psycho doc did to me. But I don't feel like that anymore. I understand that I can't keep Dean to myself. He has his own life to live."

"But why would you feel that he loves you less?" She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees, conveying her interest in the matter.

Sam gave a nostalgic smile, "It was Dean who raised me after mom's death. We were more like father-son than brothers. Everything in his life was always about Sammy. 'Whether Sammy ate his lunch?' 'Did Sammy sleep well last night?' 'Is Sammy happy with the new school?' 'Does Sammy need new clothes?' His life literally revolved around me. But when I entered teenage and supposedly 'grew up', I didn't like being babied by him. So when I went to college, I thought I'd be happy without his constant watchful eyes, but I was wrong. I missed his overprotective attitude. And so when we all got together, I thought it'd be like old times. But this time, you were there too. And Dean wasn't just my 'caretaker'; he also had you to watch out for. That divided attention bugged me. I was more or less raised like a single child. Dean never acted like a kid; he had to grow up real fast, making me the baby of the family. So yeah, you can say that he spoiled me and the result is this talk we're having."

"Oh wow," she said, unable to find words after such long speech. "But you said so yourself, you're more like father-son. So how can you think that a father will just forget about his own child?"

Sam gave out a short wry laugh, "Because I know of one such father."

"John," Lyra breathed. "I don't much about him, but from what I do know, I think he did what he had to."

"He had to?" Sam scoffed. "Yeah, he did what he had to, but didn't what he was supposed to."

"And what do you say he was supposed to do?" she asked, an underlying challenge in her voice.

"What normal fathers do," he shrugged. "He never asked us 'how was school buddy?' instead it was 'was anyone suspicious of you?' We never went for summer vacations; it was always a series of hunts. He never taught us football or baseball but how to use a gun. Tell me, is that what good fathers do?"

"So what he was never the best father in the world, were you a good son?" she shot back, rendering him confused and surprised. "And I'm not talking about Dean's order following crap. I'm talking about all these complain you have. Were you ever satisfied or even thankful with whatever you dad was providing you with? I guess not. And that doesn't make you a desirable son. How can you accuse him of being a bad father when you weren't a good son yourself?" She paused to take a breath and lowered her voice to a normal level, which had unknowingly risen.

"When I was 10, my parents were having a hard time earning. They owned a book shop and it was destroyed in a fire; took a year to restore it to normal. During that time, we had to adjust in less. And I used to whine about everything, how I wasn't getting a party on my birthday, how they weren't gifting me the dress they promised on Christmas and so on. But one day, something opened my eyes. I was going somewhere with my mother and on our way was a homeless shelter. I saw a family there, with nothing to eat but the mother somehow got a loaf of bread. And I watched as she divided that bread into four pieces and gave to her children, keeping nothing for herself. That made me realize how much our parents sacrifice for us. And since then, I've been thanking my parents daily for whatever they did for me. And I never again complained for better, because I know I already was getting the best my parents could provide. Now you tell me Sam, did you ever thank your dad for the life he gave you? Because if you can't appreciate what he did and is doing for you, take a look around you, there are people with far worse life than yours."

She smiled at a very stricken Sam, who just sat there like a blind fold had been removed from his eyes. "You can come out Dean," she called. "No need to hide behind that door anymore. The lecture's over now." A sheepish looking Dean stepped around the slightly open bathroom door, holding his wet towel in a hand. "Now I'll leave you boys to dress." With that, she went to take a shower herself.

"Man, why didn't I find her before?" Dean commented, staring at the closed door. "Should've helped in knocking some sense into you before."

"No kidding there."


	24. Route 666 2

**A/N: I'm extremely sorry guys. There's a lot going on here and I just didn't get the time to write. But well, now I'm here. Thank you so much for all your amazing reviews. Please keep them coming.**

After Lyra's little wise words, which had left Sam reeling, the three of them were dressing up to impersonate insurance agents.

"You know at times like this, I wish I wasn't cursed," Lyra remarked, pulling her hair up in a bun. "I could just sit the boring part out."

"And at other times? You like being cursed then?" Dean asked, fixing his tie.

"Yes, actually," she answered. "That means you can't get rid of me."

"Well then, I would have to find a way to break this curse of yours," he replied with a mischievous smirk.

"In that case, I'll help you," she stated, looking at him through the mirror she was standing in front of. "Need a change from you, after all." And just like she expected, his smirk vanished and what could be termed as Dean's 'bitch face' came into view.

But Dean Winchester wasn't one to admit defeat, so he quickly recovered from his momentary lapse of tough exterior and his smirk fell back in place. "You might want to reconsider that, darling. You haven't seen the whole me yet." He finished with a wink and the suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows was more than enough to make her turn beet red.

"Dean!" she exclaimed, turning to him with an appalled expression.

"Uh, can you guys keep it low until you're alone?" Sam asked, his face a mix between annoyance and amusement. "I'm still present here."

"Oh, shut up Sammy, you're just jealous," Dean said, enjoying the sight of both their flushed faces.

"I'm not jealous," Sam replied, staring in his brother's eyes defiantly.

"That I have her to be with while you're alone," Dean carried on, ignoring his protest.

"I'm not," Sam reiterated in a louder voice but Dean didn't stop.

"Now that I've bowed out, you need to step in my shoes as the ladies' man," he paused and a serious look crossed his face. "Though I doubt you'll be as good but… have some fun, dude. Move on with life."

Sam stared him down with a severe intensity, "Will you be able to move on so easily if she dies?" He pointed a long finger at the only female present in the room and, from the expression on Dean's face, knew he had gotten his point across. "It's the same for me, Dean." With that, he buttoned his suit jacket and walked out, leaving the two staring at the empty doorway after him.

Lyra was the one to break the silence, "Uh, well, I guess, let's go." Dean turned his face to her and shared a look; both knowing there was so much to discuss but for a later time.

Sam seemed a little calmer when they all took their respective seats in the Impala. And the ride to the pier, where they were to find Jimmy's friends, wasn't as tense as they all feared. Sam even started a small talk regarding the case and by the time they reached their destination, things were normal between them again. He knew his brother meant well, it wasn't Dean's fault that he wasn't yet ready to let Jessica go. So why resent someone for just being concerned?

At the pier, the trio met with Ron Stubbins, friend of Jimmy Anderson, who was having lunch with another man there. They asked him their usual questions regarding strange happenings or behavior of the deceased, but it was Ron's friend who answered. He told them about a big black truck in which a number of black people apparently disappeared, back in the '60s. And the guy behind it all was never caught.

"Truck," Dean said as they made their way back to the Impala.

"Keeps coming up, doesn't it?" Sam remarked, loosening the tie around his neck.

"You know, I was thinking-"

"On burrowed brains," Lyra added, interrupting whatever Dean was about to say. She kept her expression neutral, but a snicker from Sam had her struggling to retain her composure.

"Whatever. You heard of the flying Dutchman?" Dean asked in an annoyed voice, scowling at the two sharing a laugh at his expense.

"Yeah, a ghost ship, infused with the Captain's evil spirit. It was basically a part of him." Sam replied, looking anywhere but at Dean's slight petulant pout, which would make him give in to the laughter at bay.

"I'm afraid that's what's going to be the fate of the Impala when Dean dies," Lyra commented, shaking her head for effect. "Stuck with his cocky spirit for ever."

"Worry about your own fate for when I die," Dean snapped and turned to his younger brother. "So what if we're dealing with the same thing? You know, a phantom truck, an extension of some bastard's ghost, re-enacting past crimes."

"The victims have all been black men," Sam pointed out, nodding in agreement.

"I think it's more than that. They all seem connected to Cassie and her family," Dean voiced his suspicions. "I'm pretty sure her mother knows something big."

"That reminds me, what exactly did happen between you two?" Sam asked with a look of confusion and curiosity on his face. "I mean, why'd you two break up? Judging by the way she looks at you, there's something still lingering in those eyes."

"Impeccable timing you have," Dean commented sarcastically, glancing at the girl beside him, who rolled her eyes in response.

"The fire was hot and burning on both sides Sam," she said, irritation lacing her tone. "Though the answer to your question is unknown to me too." She turned to face her husband, an eyebrow raised, and arms crossed. But it was Sam who spoke up.

"You mean he loved her too?" Sam's expression reminded Dean of gossipy schoolgirls: mouth hanging open, eyes wide, ears perked up, and the whole face screaming disbelief and eagerness.

"I _thought_ I loved her," Dean defended himself. "And that was equal to love for me at that time. But I didn't love her."

"Then why'd you dump her after explaining the truth?" Sam asked.

"I know I shouldn't have told her our secret. It was stupid of me," Dean bristled, successfully stalling his answer for the actual question.

"Ah look man, everybody's gotta open up to someone sometime," Sam said in a soothing voice.

"Yeah well I don't. I should've known she wasn't the right one for me," Dean replied, averting his eyes away from their probing gazes.

But Lyra had already understood his unspoken answer. "You're missing something here Sam. Dean didn't dump, he _got_ dumped."

"Oh wow," was all Sam could manage after that.

"Get in the car!" Dean exclaimed, taking the shelter of the Impala. Having a heart to heart is difficult when you're Dean, but it's impossible when the others are hell bent on making it worse for you. Just to make you pull your hair out.

XXX

"Come on," Dean said as he brought the car to a stop in front of Cassie's house. He and Lyra had left Sam at the motel, where they got a change of clothes, and were now there to ask Cassie about the possible connection of the murders with her family.

He got out and Lyra followed suit but instead of closing the door, she placed her hand on the rooftop of the car and braced herself against the door. "You know, I'll just wait here while you, uh, talk to her," she spoke, looking at him across the black metal top.

"Why?" he asked, trying to come up with a possible explanation for it. She couldn't be avoiding Cassie, could she? No, that's not like her. But if yes, then for who's sake? Her, Cassie's or his?

Lyra shut the door and moved to the front of the car, while Dean mimicked her actions. They stopped face to face and held the other's gaze in what Sam dubbed as 'audio becomes visual technique (ABVT)'. "There's some business to be taken care of and numbers to be dialed," she said, adding a cheerful smile in the end.

Dean got the hint and decided to lighten the moment, "Well, you're about to give free rein to a lion. Not so smart, kitten."

"You can roam the world all you want, but even its charm can't hold you. Because in the end, you'll always return to me," she explained in a low husky voice, taking a step closer to him.

"And why's that?" he asked, pulling her tightly against him.

"Because," she drawled while her hands moved over his jacket. "I have the key to your," she paused, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Dean was certain her next word would be 'heart' but she yet again surprised him by saying, "Impala." She pulled back from his embrace, dangling the car keys she had fished out of his pocket in her hand, and laughed at his stunned expression. She had, after all, picked Dean Winchester's pocket. He smiled appreciatively, nodding his head to emphasize how impressed he was while she grinned ear to ear. But finally she pushed him toward the house, "Go now." And he complied.

Knocking on the door, Dean looked back to see what Lyra was doing. He chuckled lightly when he saw her opening the car door with the keys; she had locked herself out, that's why she took the keys from him. "Dean!" a voice pulled his attention back to the door he had knocked on, to find Cassie standing there.

"Hey!" he greeted with a smile.

"Come on in," she stepped aside to let him enter and that's when she noticed Lyra inside the car. "Isn't your wife going to come in?" And there it was! That same scoff when she'd said 'wife' last time. She really was having a hard time grasping the fact that he was married.

"Ah no, she has a call to make," he answered, feeling ridiculous to say so. Come to think of that, it did look odd to not come inside with him just to make a call. Certainly she could do that later. So when his own words didn't sound convincing to him, he added, "A very important call."

"Oh alright," she said, going over to her desk she was working on before.

"So you busy or…" he trailed off, inclining his head to the papers she was sifting through.

"The paper's doing a tribute to Jimmy," she replied, setting the papers down. "I was just going through his stuff... his awards; trying to find the words."

"That's gotta be tough," he remarked.

"For years this family owned the paper. The Dorians? They had a whites only policy. After they sold it Jimmy became the first black reporter. He didn't stop till he became editor. He taught me everything..." she drifted off with a nostalgic look on her face. But she shook it off, "So what brings you here?"

"Trying to find the connection between the three victims," he explained with a shrug. "By the way, did you talk to your mum about what Todd said about not being a racist?"

"I did," she nodded. "But she didn't want to talk about it."

"Right." Dean couldn't find any word to say after that and so an awkward silence descended on the room.

"So, uh… when did you get married?" Cassie asked the first thing that came to her mind. But given the fact that it was on her mind for quite some time, it wasn't a surprise she'd ask that.

It took Dean a moment to process what she'd said, "Uh… September last year."

"Oh alright," she took her time to digest the information. "Don't take me wrong, but as much I know you, this surprised me."

"It's surprising for you, it came as a shock to me," he muttered, remembering that day when he first woke up as a married man. Damn if it wasn't scary then.

"What?" She had her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Nothing," he brushed it off, not wanting to launch into details about the 'witch-tale' that was his marriage.

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief but let it go, "Anyway, was she raised as a, what do you call it… hunter… like you?"

"No. She, uh, became one after marriage," he answered.

"You must have wooed her hard to make her marry you with all this ghost stuff involved," she commented, not ready to call the thing between Dean and Lyra 'love' because didn't he love her back then? So it was a little hard to place someone else in her own position.

"She didn't know," he replied, shifting a little in his place, knowing something bad was coming.

"What do you mean?"

"Lyra found out about my job on the next day after the wedding," he said, standing a little straighter to brace himself for what was about to come.

"She married you without her knowing the truth?" Cassie was two notes down from shouting and she didn't give him a chance to reply. "You kept her in the dark until after the wedding because you were afraid it might end like us? That she won't receive it well like me? I guess I was lucky then to have gotten the truth so much sooner."

"You have no right to judge me when you don't know all the facts!" Dean matched her risen tone very well, taking a step further in her direction. "And wait! Did you just admit that it was you and not me who ended us?"

"Well back then I thought you just wanted to dump me," she justified. "I thought you were feeding me crap to get out!"

"Well I didn't want out at that time," he shouted back. "But now I'm glad we parted ways!"

"Good for you then, you asshole!" She yelled and glowered at him with fierce eyes. You can't expect a woman to play nice when you tell her you don't regret breaking up with her, especially when she still has feelings for you.

"Look," Dean lowered his voice down a notch. "What I'm saying is, I think it happened for the better. Let's just move on and accept we weren't mean to be. I've found someone, I'm sure you'll find your Mr. Perfect too, if you haven't already."

"It's hard to get a new start when your ex fed you an insane story to break up," she explained tiredly. "You start having trust issues."

"But now you know it wasn't insane," Dean stated.

"And that's why I should thank you for the closure," she said with a small smile. "Maybe things will look up for the better now."

"I hope so," Dean nodded and let out a sigh. "Uh, I should go now." And he started moving towards the front door.

"Yeah." She followed him to the door to see him off. "Hey Dean?" she called softly and when he turned around she added, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah me too," he smiled and walked out the door. It was the soft click of the door that told him she had gone in and it was just Lyra and him now. And now it struck him. Lyra wasn't avoiding Cassie, no, she was giving him a chance to sort things out between them. She wanted them to clear the air regarding their bitter parting. This talk he just had with Cassie was necessary to break the tension among the three of them. Only now could things go smooth on this case.

"I think that would do. We have enough equity funds in our hands, no need to add another. Though I like your idea about shuffling their numbers a bit. We can always increase the sum in gold ones, that never depresses. But you know I don't trust shares too much," Lyra said into the phone, pacing by the car. She wasn't making an excuse when she said she had someone to call. And it was business related too.

"Yeah I know," the man on the other end of the line laughed. "Just like your father."

"Well, they are-" she stopped abruptly and let out a squeak of fear when she felt arms circling her waist from behind.

"Sshhh," Dean hushed her and she relaxed immediately.

"Lyra you alright?" the man on the phone asked worriedly.

"Yeah, Uncle Gerald, I'm fine," she replied, slapping at the arms holding her, which only tightened in response.

"So that's all I guess," her uncle sighed.

"Alright then, thanks again. Will talk to you later. Bye." She hung up and tried to turn around but Dean wouldn't let her.

"Were you really discussing investment planning with a lawyer?" he asked, nuzzling her neck.

"He knows a thing or two about the market, and had helped my dad with that for a long time," she explained with a slight shrug. "He's now handling my accounts and all that comes with it, be it investment or tax."

"So, you're multiplying your money?" He let her go and she turned around to face him.

"Better than leaving it in banks," she reasoned.

"What's the net sum you have?" he questioned with plain curiosity on his face.

"Are you really asking my bank balance?" she exclaimed incredulously. But when he shrugged in response, she answered, "uh… half million dollar?"

"You have half million dollar at your disposal?" His expression matched the disbelief and surprise in his voice.

"No darling, _we _have half million dollar at our disposal," she stated calmly, putting her arms around his waist now.

"Then why do we live in motels and eat in diners?" he asked what he thought was an obvious question, but Lyra thought otherwise. She didn't know what she had expected to be his reaction but acceptance of her money as theirs was not it. But looks like Dean didn't care whose money it was, as long as he got a place to sleep and pie to eat. He lived on hustled and fraudulent money, why should he not accept his wife's money as his? Which was, in fact, legal for a change.

"You never asked me," she said in her defense.

"You never told me," he retorted.

"Besides, money is a non-renewable resource." She reached up to kiss him and he was very easily distracted by that.

"And so is time," he murmured against her lips. "Let's find a room before the night ends." She arched an eyebrow at that but he didn't give her a chance to say anything, as he erased that minute distance to capture her lips in a feverish kiss. And that was just the beginning of the night.

XXX

The next morning came too soon for Lyra's liking, and after what would be classified as only a minute of sleep in her database, she was being shaken awake by Dean.

"Go away," she slurred through her sleep driven tongue and buried herself deeper into the pillow, which happened to be the man waking her up.

"Wake up Lyra. Sam called, he needs us," Dean told her softly, stroking her hair as she lay tucked under his arm.

"And I need some sleep," she mumbled hazily, refusing to budge. "I was up all night!"

"So was I," he reminded, instantly making her blush. "But you gotta admit that was the best night ever."

"If you don't let me sleep in peace, it'll be your worst day ever," she threatened, still keeping her eyes closed.

"After we get this done with, you can sleep all you want," he promised.

She finally opened her eyes to look at him, "Just this once."

"Alright," he agreed and kissed her forehead before getting out of bed to dress. She closed her eyes for a second more, but then jumped up to follow Dean's example. In no time, they were ready and checked out of the room.

"So what exactly happened?" Lyra asked, putting down the cup of coffee she had just emptied. They were driving to wherever Sam wanted them to come, apparently an accident site.

"Mayor Todd got killed last night," Dean answered, steering the Impala down the snowy roads.

"That's too bad. How?"

"We're about to find out," he replied, slowing down to park the car. They both got out, burying themselves deep in their jackets to preserve their body heat in the cold. They approached Sam, who was talking to a cop, and were pinned with a suspicious look from the officer.

"It's alright. They are with me," Sam explained and the cop left with a nod. The younger brother turned to the freshly arrived pair with a smile. "Where were you two last night? You didn't make it back to the motel."

"Well, I was busy popping her- ow!" Dean couldn't complete his sentence as he was jabbed by a sharp elbow on his ribs. "What was that for?" he asked the brunette standing beside him.

"Ever heard of the term 'too much information'?" she shot back coldly.

"I was just answering his question," he reasoned, rubbing his chest to sooth the pain.

"You need to go back to elementary school Dean," she retorted. "He asked _where_ we were, not _what_ we were doing."

"Alright guys, let's concentrate on why we're here." Sam played the mediator again, distracting them from their banter which could go on all day. "Every bone crushed. Internal organ's turned to pudding. The cops are all stumped, it's like something ran him over."

"Let me guess," Lyra said. "A truck with no tracks?"

"You got it right," Sam replied.

"What was the Mayor doing here anyway?" Dean asked, looking around the place they were standing on.

"He owned the property. Bought it a few weeks ago," Sam answered, pushing his hands into his jacket pockets.

"But he's white, he doesn't fit the pattern," Dean pointed out.

"Killings didn't happen up on the road. That doesn't fit either," Sam added in agreement.

"Great!" Lyra commented. "Can we get out of this snow now?"

XXX

"You didn't tell me what happened at Cassie's last evening," Lyra said as they drove to the newspaper office after dropping Sam at the courthouse.

"We, uh, resolved our issues," Dean replied, keeping his eyes on the slick road.

"About her dumping you and all that?" she asked; a hidden concern in her eyes.

"Yeah, 'bout that. We're cool now," he told her, adding a smile for emphasis.

"That's good. I no longer have to worry about the scorned ex of my husband."

"You shouldn't have worried in the first place," he said. "She's not one to avenge a broken relationship."

"You never know what a woman can hold a grudge against," she remarked and buttoned her jacket as they came to a stop.

"Touché." He nodded and took the keys out of ignition, placing it safely in his inner pocket.

"Oh hey Cassie," Lyra called as she entered the office with Dean on her heel, and the woman in question looked up from her desk.

"Hey!" she greeted back, standing up to walk over to them.

"We found out about the Mayor." Lyra pulled a serious expression on her face to go with the awful news.

"Yeah, that's… frightening," Cassie replied, brooding over the unfortunate event.

"Uh well, Dean here needs to search some stuff related to the case, so… you got internet?" Lyra asked, not giving any more time to awkward silence.

"Yes of course, here." Cassie went to her desk and gestured to the monitor sitting there.

"Great," Lyra said, smiling at the prospect of finally having a chance to sleep. "Now while you two figure this shit out, I'll take a nap. That empty?" She pointed to a chair in the corner, isolated from the rest of the busy room.

"Yeah," Cassie answered; a little incredulity in her voice.

"Perfect." And with that, Lyra made her way to the chair. She settled in and pulled her iPod out to let music lull her to sleep.

"She's really tired. Didn't have proper sleep in the past few days." She heard Dean explain the reason behind her odd behavior. Odd or not, she didn't care; sleep was all she could think of at that time. She wasn't built to run well on lack of sleep.

As the first song started to play, she relaxed in the hard chair and got as comfortable as she could. Now that she was finally alone, she let her mind wander to the many thoughts that occupied it. But she concentrated on the most bothering one. Introduction of Cassie had planted a seed of doubt in her mind. Though Dean loved her, could it be because he had no other choice? Thanks to her curse, he couldn't leave her but that also meant he couldn't hook up with some other woman. Could this love be out of desperation as he had no other option besides her? Given their situation, it was either her or nothing, and something is always better than nothing, right?

Lyra shook her head to erase those thoughts out of her mind. She knew Dean wouldn't be so desperate to satisfy his needs that he'd compromise on something like love. Either it was there or it was not. There was no middle way for him when it came to emotions. But it can never hurt to confirm. With that decision in mind, she drifted into a deep slumber.

Amidst a very good dream, which she couldn't retain in her conscious mind, Lyra was shaken awake by Dean. "Get up kitten. We gotta go."

"Where now?" she asked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"Cassie's home, the truck showed up there," he answered, putting on his socks.

"Give me a minute," she replied and got out of the motel bed. She knitted her eyebrows in confusion as to how she got there. Last she remembered, she had fallen asleep in the newspaper office. Oh well, Dean must have brought her here, who else?

She made a quick trip to the bathroom and hastily donned her jacket. When Dean honked for her to come out, she rushed outside and into the Impala with her shoes in hand. "I'm in! I'm in! Go."

"It's freezing out here. Why'd you come out without your shoes on?" Dean chided, glaring at her through the mirror.

"Aren't we getting late now?" She pointed out, bending down to tie her shoelaces.

"I'm telling you Sam, she can sleep through world wars," he remarked, shaking his head in incredulity.

"Hey! I'm not that bad," she protested.

"I tried for a full five minutes before you decided to wake up," he shot back.

"I was having a fantastic dream," she tried to justify. "Anyway, what'd I miss? What'd you find out before?"

"There's this Cyrus Dorian, who vanished back in April '63, right around the time of the string of murders," Sam explained. "And the Mayor had recently bought this property, where he was killed, that belonged to the Dorian family before him. Interestingly, the Dorian house was in a bad shape, so he bulldozed it, and the next day? You have the first killing in this case."

"Oh wow! So, Mayor destroys the house and the evil spirit awakens," Lyra surmised, a thoughtful look on her face. "Way to go! And did Cassie's mother say anything yet?"

"No," Dean replied. "But we're hoping she does now."

And talk she did. Upon reaching the Robinson house, the trio explained the gravity of the situation to her, how her daughter was not safe. Realizing the danger she was exposing her daughter to by not speaking, she gave answer to their every question. She told them that she dated Cyrus when they were young but at the same time, she was also seeing Martin, Cassie's father. When she broke off with Cyrus to marry Martin, he harbored a hate towards black people. He was the one behind all those disappearings and on the day Cassie's parents were set to wed, he set fire to the church where it was to take place but they weren't killed in it as they had decided to elope. Some time after that, Cyrus attempted to kill Martin again but somehow he got freed and killed Cyrus instead. Martin and his friends dumped Cyrus' body along with truck in the swamp near the Dorian land. Mayor Todd was a deputy then but once he found about the whole incident, he kept quiet because he knew both sides of it.

XXX

"Ah, my life was so simple. Just school, exams, papers on polycentric cultural norms," Sam said. They were standing outside Cassie's house, leaning against the Impala, discussing their next move.

"Well I guess I saved you from a boring existence," Dean replied, scratching the ground with his boots.

"Yeah, occasionally I miss boring," Sam remarked.

"How can you miss boring when that is all you are?" Lyra teased.

"I'm not boring!"

"Keep telling yourself that. Won't change a thing." A smirk that could rival Dean's spread on her lips. Dean chuckled at the exchange, clapping her on the back.

"Not fair!" Sam called to his laughing brother.

"Well, don't you have your fair share of laugh when she annoys the hell out of me?" Dean reminded him with a shrug. "Call this payback." He started laughing again when Sam pulled on his famous bitch-face.

"Back to business boys," Lyra said. "How do we stop Cyrus and his killer truck?"

"We'll have to dredge that body up from the swamp, right?" Sam asked his older brother, who grinned in response.

"Freaking amazing," Lyra commented, making a face.

"Hey!" a new voice snapped their attention to the approaching woman. Cassie stopped at their side, "She's asleep. Now what?"

"Well you should stay put and look after her... and we'll be back," Dean answered. "Don't leave the house."

"Did you just order me?" She challenged him, eyebrows raised. He knew she didn't like being ordered around.

"I'd rather call it an advice or a request," Lyra butted in. "You order people who you think aren't capable of making the right decision by themselves. And I think you're more than capable of that. Why degrade your own self by calling it an order?"

Cassie directed a stunned look in Dean's way who smiled back proudly. "Yeah right," she replied. "Be careful you all," she added, smiling nervously at the three of them.

XXX

"All right. Let's get her up," Sam announced, rubbing his hands together. They had managed to get their hands on a tractor and now Dean was controlling it to get the truck out from the swamp, while Sam instructed him. "All right. A little more. Little more. All right, stop."

Dean turned off the engine and jumped down to join Lyra's side. "Jeez, that's huge!" she commented, shaking her head at the truck they just pulled out.

"Nice," Sam remarked, nodding approvingly at Dean's work.

"Hell yeah!" Dean agreed, going over to the trunk of his car. He rummaged through his weaponry to find the supplies they'd need.

"Are we going to torch his body or the whole truck?" Lyra asked, still staring at the black monster.

"Just his body," Sam answered in an implied tone. "Burning that thing would be stupid."

"Yeah right," she said, following the brothers as they walked up to the driver's side of the truck. They glanced at each other and Dean opened the door, stepping back quickly as a rotten body fell out. The brothers dragged it a little far to avoid any accidents and gathered their necessities.

"Alright let's get to it," Dean stated, picking up the gasoline. He drenched the body with it while Sam poured salt over it.

"My turn!" Lyra chimed happily and set it on fire with the lighter.

"Think that'll do it?" Sam asked doubtfully and as if answering his question, they heard the revving of an engine.

"I guess not," Dean replied, taking in the sight of the ghost truck.

"So burning the body had no effect?" Sam questioned a little frantically.

"Sure it did. Now it's really pissed."

"But Cyrus' ghost is gone, right Dean?" Sam watched in dread as the truck revved its engine again.

"Apparently not the part that's fused with the truck," Dean answered and started towards the Impala. "Lyra, get in the car."

"But where are we going?" she asked, but complied nonetheless.

"Going for a little ride. Gotta lead that thing away," he said and then turned to his brother. "That piece of crap, you gotta burn it."

"How the hell am I supposed to burn a truck Dean?" Sam shouted after him. "I don't know. Figure something out." Was the reply he got, along with a bag thrown his way.

"What?" He yelled but the Impala was already backing up. He watched as it shot forward and led the truck away with it.

Inside the car, Dean tossed his phone to Lyra, "Call Sam!"

"I have my own phone Dean," she pointed out but dialed the required number and put it on speaker.

"_Hey, you gotta give me a minute."_

"We don't have a minute!" Dean shouted, steering his baby on the misty road. "What are we doing?"

"_Ahh. Let me get back to you."_

"He freaking hung up," Lyra said disbelievingly, staring at the phone in her hands.

"Damn it!" Dean exclaimed, stepping on the gas pedal.

"That truck can move," she remarked, glancing behind to look at the bright headlights following them. After a while the phone rang and she hastily picked up the call.

"_All right, Dean?"_

"This better be good," Dean threatened.

"_Where are you?"_

"On our way to heaven if you don't get your gears working!" Lyra shouted, looking behind to see the truck gaining ground on them.

"_Listen to me, this is important. I have to know exactly where you are."_

"Decatur road, about two miles off the highway," Dean read from a road sign.

"_Ok. Headed East?"_

"Yes man, cut to the chase!" Lyra exclaimed, fixing her eyes on the rearview mirror nervously. "Oh shit Dean!"

"You son of a bitch!" he yelled as the truck back ended their car.

"_Ok, ahhh, turn right! Up ahead, turn right."_

Dean made a sharp turn with the truck following suit, still hot on their heels. The screech of the tires in protest to the sudden change of direction was deafening.

"_You make the turn?"_

"Yeah I made the turn! You need to move this thing along a little faster," Dean urged.

"_All right, you see a road up ahead?"_

"No. Wait!" "Yes there it is!" Both Dean and Lyra said at the same time.

"_Ok, Turn left."_

Dean risked a glance back to find the truck close on their left side. He slammed on the brakes and let the truck barrel past before turning left. "Alright, now what?" he asked Sam.

"_You need to go seven tenths of a mile and then stop."_

"Stop? You want to get us killed?" Lyra questioned, throwing a 'he's insane' look at Dean.

"_Exactly seven tenths. Trust me."_

The Impala sped on the road and after covering exactly seven tenth miles, did a 180 degree turn, and stopped. Its occupants exchanged a fearful look as the phantom truck following them appeared at the end of the road they'd come from.

"_What's happening there?"_

"It's just staring at us, what do I do?" Dean asked his worried brother on the other line.

"_Just what you are doing, bringing it to you."_

But before any of the two could reply, the truck revved its engine ominously and charged towards them. "If I die now Sam," Lyra shouted. "I'm going to haunt your ass for the rest of your life, which I'd of course shorten." Dean took her hand in his and squeezed tight. She turned her head to face him and they stared in each other's eyes as the truck roared through them, disintegrating into nothing.

"Where'd it go?" Dean wondered out loud, twisting in his seat to look behind them.

"_Dean, you're where the church was."_

"What church!?"

"_The place Cyrus burned down. Murdered all those kids."_

"There's not a whole lot left," Dean observed, noticing the posts and remains of a broken wall.

"_Church ground is hallowed ground, whether the church is still there or not. Evil spirits cross over hallowed ground, sometimes they're destroyed, so I figured, maybe, that would get rid of it."_

"Maybe? Maybe!" Dean yelled at him. "What if you were wrong?"

"_Huh. Honestly that thought hadn't occurred to me."_

Dean stared at his phone which relayed Sam's voice and snapped it shut. "I'm gonna kill him."

"I'd prefer running him over," Lyra added. "With a big black truck."

**A/N: Next episode will be 'Shadows'. And Lyra will finally meet John. Please review and help me improve. Your opinion matters a lot.**


	25. Scarecrow (Kind of)

**A/N: I know, I know. And I'm really so very sorry for that. This takes place in Scarecrow (after Asylum and before Faith), but its rather short and not actually the first installment of the episode. It's been driving me crazy and so I thought of getting it out before I write Shadows. Yes, this idea is what kept me away for so long because I was kinda conflicted in writing it, but now it's finally here. I should also tell you guys that the biggest villains who caused this delay in update were college and studies. And it pains me to say that it doesn't seem to be improving anywhere in the near future. So yeah, updates will be few and far between. Hope you forgive me. And no, I haven't abandoned this story. I plan to complete at least season 1. And oh! How could I forget, a thank you as big as the universe itself to all you guys. Over 300 reviews, 150 follows, and 100 favorites. Awesome! Love ya all.**

The ringing of a phone interrupted Lyra's sweet morning sleep. She groaned and turned on her left, covering her exposed ear with a pillow. When the offending noise continued, she reluctantly opened her eyes and quickly swept her gaze around the room. Neither of the brothers was in sight so she picked up the cell from the bedside table, and flipped it open with a sigh. "Hello?"

For a few seconds there was no answer, as if the other person was deciding whether he had dialed the right number or not. And just when Lyra thought of saying hello again, a man's suspicious voice sounded in her ear. "Who's that?"

"Oh come on man," she grumbled in reply. "At least know who you're dialing."

"I know who I dialed and you're not him," the man harshly bit out, then lowered his voice to a mutter. "Can't believe he let a hook-up attend his phone!"

That immediately got her attention and she shot up straighter, eyes wide. "Hook-up?" she said in a low, disbelieving tone. "Just who the hell are you to call me that?"

"I'm his father," John answered wearily. He didn't have time to deal with hurt feelings of one of Dean's nightly excursions.

"Then his father probably forgot that his son's married now. And I'm his wife, not some hooker!" She barely hid her anger this time; her voice bitter than alcohol.

"Oh." John didn't know what else to say. He really did forget that fact, but how could he? A grimace claimed his unshaven face. If such big detail slipped from his mind, how was he supposed to catch that one elusive bastard? He couldn't afford any mistakes now. Halting his thoughts from turning in that direction, he focused on the call and that's when it hit him. He was talking to his daughter-in-law, and boy did he have a wonderful start.

"Wait. John?" It seemed Lyra had also come to realize something big. "You called? After all these months of searching for you countrywide, you decided to have a talk now?" There was a trace of accusation in her voice. She was frustrated with the 'no contact' policy he had kept up, while they fretted over his wellbeing. "You weren't hurt or something, were you?" she asked with a frown, concerned that he might have been actually in a hospital, dying, unable to reach them.

He closed his eyes briefly at her questions, knowing that was what his sons had been thinking all the while. Feeling angry and, above all, worried at his sudden disappearance. "I'm alright," he answered, opening his eyes to keep a lookout around the payphone he was talking from. "Where are Dean and Sam?"

"Sam's…" she looked around the room again, noticing the early morning light filtering through the windows. "Gone to get our breakfast, I suppose. And Dean's in the shower. Want me to get him?"

John paused for a few seconds to think it over. "No. Leave him be." He wasn't sure that he could handle talking to one of his boys and not wanting to just run back to them. Though he had dialed Dean's number, he wasn't confident that he could actually talk to him, and thank God he was saved from a possible emotional turmoil when Lyra picked up the phone and not one of his sons. He had survived this long without them only in hope of that one day when all this would be over and they could take a much needed break. Away from this world and hunting. Just the three of them. Oh, now four.

"Okay," she drawled, an eyebrow already arched up, but aware that he couldn't see it.

"How're they doing?" he asked softly in his aging voice.

"They're doing good. And so am I, though you didn't ask. But I totally understand why," she rambled, suddenly nervous that she was talking to Dean's dad. At the other line, John smiled. Her innocence was a breath of fresh, yet nostalgic, air to him. It took him to that time when Dean was only four and Sammy was a new born. When they were blissfully unaware of the horrors of the world. And when Mary was alive. His eyes found the gold wedding band on his finger that he never took off, and he could feel the pain again. No matter how long time had passed, it still hurt to think that she was dead. He was jerked out of his depressing thoughts by Lyra's voice, "Where are you, by the way?"

"I can't tell you that."

"You can't tell _me_ that? Or you can't tell _us_ that?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes.

His eyes sparkled with amusement as he replied, "I can't tell _anybody_ that."

"But why not?" Confusion was evident on her face. She didn't know what to make of this call.

"Look, I know this is hard for you all to understand. But you gotta trust me on this," he said seriously.

"What're you so deep in that you can't even see your children?" she questioned. "You're hunting the thing that started this all, aren't you?"

"Yeah, it's a demon," he agreed, albeit a little reluctantly.

"You're after a demon?" she exclaimed. It was hard for her to gulp that one down. Demons were a whole new level of supernatural craziness. "You know where it is?"

"Yeah, I think I'm finally closing in on it," John answered, an anticipatory smirk on his face. But he knew this wasn't it, there was a long way to go yet.

"Then why don't you let us help? You'll need all that you can get," Lyra offered, not liking the idea of him going after that bastard alone.

"No! You can't be any part of it," he said fiercely. Just the thought of his kids against that demon made him afraid- the lone thing that could defeat him.

The protectiveness in his voice kept the girl from questioning him further so she conceded, "Alright, but-"

"Listen to me," he commanded in that authoritative tone he knew so well, courtesy of his ex-marine status. "You tell Dean and Sam to stop looking for me, alright? Now, I need you to write down-"

"But at least give me a reason for that," she pleaded hastily, cutting him off. She knew the brothers were going to grill her for every single word their dad said, so she better be prepared for their questions.

"Look, I don't have time to explain," he replied tiredly after a moment of stunned silence. It really irked him when people interrupted him mid sentence. Haven't they heard anything about patience? "This is bigger than you all think, they're everywhere. Even us talking right now, it's not safe." And that was why the veteran hunter had been suspicious of her initially. It was all too easy for demons to tap into their phones and track them.

"Okay, I'll tell them exactly that," she said, understanding the urgency of the situation. "Now you said about writing something?" She jumped out of the bed and began searching for some paper and pen.

"Yeah, some names that you need to search immediately." He was relieved that she didn't protest anymore or this would've been difficult. If it had been Sam instead, he was sure his youngest born would be throwing a fit by now.

"Wait a sec. Pen… pen… pen." She hurriedly dug into her bag to get a pen, but threw it down when there wasn't one. "Where the hell's a pen when you need one?" That comment lifted the corners of John's mouth. She sounded quite young which had him wondering just how old she was. Dean had never mentioned her age to him. "Yes! I got one, go on," she urged as she sat at the small dining table where she had luckily found a pen. John dictated six names to her which she quickly jotted down. And before he could hang up, she spoke, "Hey, uh, your boys will be pleased to see you again. They've been worried sick about you. And hell, even I'm curious to meet you. Just so you know."

"I know," he said wistfully. "And, Lyra? I'm sorry 'bout the hooker part." He didn't wait for her reply and ended the call. She stared at the phone for a full minute, letting the words sink in, then huffed, "At least you know my name."

"Who knows your name?" She jumped at the sound and looked up to see Dean toweling his wet hair. As he went to pick a shirt from his bag, her eyes slid to his bare chest. But she didn't avert them as she would've done in the past, though a slight blush did grace her cheeks as she quite openly stared. Nakedness was not something new to her when living with the brothers, and so she had stopped being skittish about it a long time ago; much to Dean's disappointment. He loved to tease her over that, often walking around in his towel to embarrass her.

She lifted her gaze to his face again, to find him smirking at her. He had obviously caught her eying his 'perfect' body as he called it. "It was your dad," she answered him, effectively erasing that smirk from his face.

"What?" he asked in bewilderment, though she could see the faint relief in his surprised expression.

She nodded to confirm, "He called." The words had barely left her mouth and he was snatching the phone from her hands.

"He didn't call from his cell," Dean mused, inspecting the last number on his call log.

"Yeah, he's thoroughly following the 'underground' protocol." Lyra rolled her eyes at some of John's words that still resonated in her mind.

"What'd he say?" He asked with barely concealed anxiety, looking at her expectantly; but then his expression changed to one of irritation. "And more importantly, why didn't you let me talk to him?"

"You were in the shower," she shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding his penetrating eyes.

"So?" His tone conveyed the incredulity he felt at her answer. "That doesn't mean you can't knock and hand over the phone to me. I don't even lock the door! You could've just walked in."

"And saw you naked? No, thank you very much. I think I'll pass," she bit out, fixing a glare at him. "And besides, he asked me not to fetch you."

"Now why'd dad say that?" Dean was growing more and more confused by the second. First his dad called, which was a shocker in itself, that too from a public phone, and on top of that, he practically refused to talk to him. Just what the hell was going on?

"Did I just hear 'dad'?" Sam's voice reverberated in the motel room as he walked inside through the door, carrying their morning meal in hand.

"Yeah, apparently he called," Dean confirmed, shifting his gaze back on Lyra for further light on the topic.

"He did?" Sam did a double-take, staring at his brother in shock and relief.

"Don't look at me," the elder Winchester spoke in a bitterly defensive voice. "She did all the talking here."

"And?" Sam prodded when the girl in question kept staring at her 'bitter-half'.

"And he told you to stop looking for him," she answered finally, unlocking her eyes from Dean to look at Sam.

"What!?" both brothers exclaimed simultaneously, though who's voice was louder was hard to tell.

"Yeah," she nodded for emphasis, "he said that the hunt he's on is so dangerous that he can't risk us following him." She paused to let that sink in then added for good measure, "Or a phone-call for that matter."

"What is he hunting?" Sam queried in a worried tone, though both other occupants of the rented room could tell that he was more desperate to know than concerned over John's safety.

"_That_ I've no idea about," Lyra lied, being a little too late and too dramatic for it to be taken as true. She had that bad of a poker face.

And that was enough for Dean to suspect something. "Bullshit! What aren't you telling us?" He pinned her with a dark look that said- 'so much as think about the L of 'lying' and there'd be hell to pay'.

Lyra gulped nervously under the intensity of his words, both spoken and unspoken. "I think he said it may be a demon," she answered vaguely.

"Is it about Jessica and Mom?" Sam was a little wary over the matter, but there was a gleam in his eyes that screamed 'Finally!'.

"I… I…," Lyra was at a loss of words. What was she supposed to say? That 'yeah, your dad found your mom's and girlfriend's killer but you aren't to contribute to his demise'? She could just imagine Sam's reaction to that, and it wasn't a pretty sight to realize.

"I want every damn word of that conversation." Dean's voice was low, dangerous, bordering on threatening; but when he barked 'Now!', it was confirmed that it _was_ a threat. And threats didn't sit well with Lyra, especially when it wasn't her fault that they had to be made in the first place.

"You know what? Why don't you call your dad and ask him yourself? Oh but he won't pick up, after all he doesn't want to talk to you," she replied snidely, crossing her arms at the chest.

"Look Lyra I," Dean began irritably when Sam cut in. "Why don't you two cool it down?" He held up his hands in a placating manner towards his big brother and motioned for him to take a seat. Then he turned to Lyra, "And why don't you start by telling what's that?" he gestured to the notepad in which she'd jotted down the names.

"Don't patronize me Sam," she snapped, but handed the notepad to him, who took it with an apologetic expression. "He said to look into these names," she explained, then averted her eyes to Dean to catch his gaze, and added, "nothing more."

Sam took the list of people over to Dean and they both examined it, thinking for the possible connection among them, hoping for any bells to ring. Just not the phone's bell, for Lyra's sake.

"What about these names?" Dean questioned, looking up at Lyra, confused, as Sam still mulled them.

"What part of 'nothing more' do you not understand?" She threw up her hands in exasperation, looking like a hen whose feathers had been rustled, by a tornado no less. Not that the hen would make it, but still…

"The part where you refuse to share what he told you," Dean retorted just as snarkily.

"He didn't tell me anything!" she defended furiously, frustrated with the whole mess she'd landed herself in."That's the point. He just told me to tell you to stop tracking him because they're everywhere, and even-"

"Who's everywhere?" Sam interrupted.

"The demons, of course," she answered with a dramatic 'duh' face. "And that's why he was avoiding our calls, he doesn't trust the lines. I guess that was the last you'd be hearing from him- at least on phone," she amended when she saw the look on the brothers' faces.

"Why can't he let us help him? This demon's a big fish to catch," Dean voiced his thoughts, earning an eye roll from Lyra.

"No shit Sherlock, it definitely _is_ a big _shark_, and that's why John doesn't want you two anywhere near it." She gave him the only logical thing John had said to her- his need to protect his sons.

"That's a load of crap," Dean burst out. "We're not kids anymore; we can take care of ourselves. Or at least Sammy isn't a kid anymore, if I say so myself."

"Hey!" Sam cried indignantly.

"Shut up! I've always been an adult," Dean rebuked, eliciting a huff from his younger brother.

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

"I think 'm gonna shower," Lyra grumbled as she stood up to make her way to the bathroom. But before moving, she held up a hand to stop Dean who she knew was about to question her relentlessly, "And no, he didn't say anything else. Not about his location, or the demon's, or who the demon is, or how he's going to kill him; zip nada nothing."

She slid inside the bathroom with her towel in hand and chided herself for not just handing the phone to Dean when she found out it was John calling. She could've prevented the headache that was sure to plague her all day if the brothers kept this up. If only she could've let that hooker comment slide and let Dean handle his dad. Maybe it would've been better if she really was just some hook-up for Dean and not his wife; the whole scenario would've been different then. But no, she wouldn't have it any other way. Not when Dean was involved as a husband.


End file.
